Joy of Marrying You
by YuriFan300
Summary: It's been two years since Reo and Mai got engaged. Now the two are finally getting married. However, there's a certain someone who is unhappy for those two and is planning to steal Reo back . . . Sequel to "Be with You Forever".
1. Time Passes

**Joy of Marrying You**

**Pairing: Mai x Reo**

**Genre: Romance/Drama**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Sono Hanabira/A Kiss for the Petals or any of its characters**

**Author's Note: Hey, everyone. It's YuriFan300. People have been asking me to write a sequel for the Mai x Reo fanfic and I've thought about it for a while. Then, I decided to finally do it since they are one of my favorite couples. It took a while to think of the plot and everything, but here it is. So, without further ado, enjoy the story! :)**

_"So I will ask you this: Reo Kawamura . . . will you marry me?"_

_"Oh, y-yes."_

I stare at the ring Mai gave me as I think back at our proposal. It's actually pretty exciting that we're getting married, but Mai and I decided that it's best if we wait a couple of years. That's right. It's been two years since I got engaged. And it was right at the spot where I confessed my love to Mai. After that happened, we told our friends from St. Michaels and they were really excited that we're finally getting married. Mai's parents seemed to accept our relationship a bit, but I don't know about mine. I have't seen them in, like, forever, and they probably don't know about my relationship with Mai. How will they react once they find out?

I let out a sigh as I put my hand down and fall flat on my bed. I'm wondering what the others are doing right now. Well, first off, Kaede-san and Sara-san are doing their modeling career together, Risa-san and Miya-san are just starting college, Shizuku became a professional calligrapher and is now teaching alongside with her girlfriend, Eris. Takako-sensei is still teaching with Runa-san as her student, and Rikka-san and Sayuki-san started their third year in school. Oh, and Yuuna-san and Nanami-san are just continuing dating. Other than that, there's really not much to do around here.

"Haaaa~ I wish Mai was here," I sigh the second time.

Just then, the door opens and my beloved comes in with a bright smile on her face.

"Wish granted!" she says, cheerfully.

"Ah! M-Mai!" I exclaim, sitting up from my bed. "Y-you heard me?"

"Of course. Actually I just wanted to see you because I've got great news for you!"

"What is it? Are we going somewhere? Did you buy me something special?"

"None of the above."

Rats! "Then, what is it, Mai? Tell me!"

"Well, since we graduated and all, I'll probably be living on my own pretty soon. So, I've decided . . . I'm going to be your roommate form now on!"

"WHAAAAAAAAAT!?"

Mai immediately tackles me into a hug, making the bed creak a little.

"Oh, Reo~!" She says, happily. "I'm so happy that I'm going to live with my lovely bride!"

"M-Mai, stop! This is embarrassing!"

"Why would it be embarrassing when I'm finally marrying the one I love?" She lightly kisses me on the cheek. "You're just so adorable, Reo. I'm glad I picked you as my bride."

"M-Mai, you idiot," I mumble as I turn my head away, hiding the blush that's been on my face since she got here. "C-can you get off now?"

"Nope. I just feel like staying like this for a bit longer." She caresses my cheek. "Besides, it's just the two of us now, so there's nothing to worry about."

I slowly nod as I turn my head away while still feeling the intense heat on my face. All of a sudden, Mai leans in and plants her lips against mine. It's a bit of a shock at first, but somehow, it's also a great feeling. I gently return the kiss as we find ourselves in our own little world, cuddling each other on the bed.

"I love you, Reo," Mai whispers. "With all my heart."

"I-I love you, too, Mai," I whisper back.

* * *

Wanting to get some fresh air, Mai and I take a walk outside for a bit. It's such a nice day, by the way. The sun is shining, sky is blue and I can eve hear the birds chirping. I take a glance at Mai as she observes her surroundings with a smile on her face.

"What is it, Reo?" she asks.

"Oh, uh, n-nothing!" I lie. "I wasn't looking at you or anything!"

"Uh-huh."

I glare at her. "What do you mean '_uh-huh'?"_

"I know you're lying. Your blush explains everything."

Dang it! She can always freaking tell! "W-well, you're wrong!"

"Oh, Reo. I've been meaning to tell you this. It seems that the stores are selling phones that have touch screens."

"Um, touch screens? W-what are those?" I'm feeling kind of surprised about the change of topic, but it has me interested at the same time.

"Well, it's a device where you use your finger to touch buttons on screen, hence the title. They are selling mobile devices that have those things."

"We already have our cell phones, don't we?" I remind her.

"Yeah, but those are kind of old school," Mai says. "Right now, technology has improved greatly. So, that's why I want us to buy those things."

I frown at her. "I'm fine with just a cell phone."

Mai only giggles. "Oh, Reo. Almost everyone around town has a mobile touch screen device. Are you sure you don't want to buy one?"

"Positive."

"If you buy one, I'll send you lovely texts every day."

I turn my head away. "Such bribe is not going to make me buy that stupid thing." Though I can feel my face burn, I still hide my true feelings from her. Besides, why does she always have to be so pushy?

"Aww, please?"

"No."

"Then how about this: I'll give it to you as our wedding gift after we get married."

This makes my face still burn. "W-we don't have to wait that long. I just . . . need to think about it for a bit." I know nothing about this new technology, so I'm going to need a little help. "What else is new about these, um, touch screen devices?"

"They have these applications, we call them 'apps' for short, that you can purchase on the phone. They are either free or you have to buy them. You can play lots of games on there, read some books and so on."

"So, it's like buying something from a store?" I try to comprehend.

"Only it's on a mobile device," Mai says, putting a finger up with one eye closed. "You can store it all on here as many as you want, as long as you save up some memory that's on that device."

"Memory?"

"It's kind of like our cell phones where has limited amount of memory whenever we store something in there. Think of it like, uh, a box or a toy chest. You can't store too many stuff in there, otherwise the chest will get too full to even close."

I rub my chin thoughtfully. "I think I'm understanding what you're saying."

"Also, Reo, texting became more advanced, like they made it sort of like a keyboard on a computer type thing. You can text much faster than a cell phone."

"Fast texting? I don't know if I'll be able to handle that."

"Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it once you get used to it."

Hmm . . . she is starting to get me more and more interested my the minute. Maybe the whole touch screen device isn't as bad as I thought. "Well . . . should I buy a touch phone?"

"You definitely should!" Mai insists. "Even Yuuna-san and Kaede-san has one."

"W-wait! Them, too!?"

"Yep. They told me a while ago and they said that it's way better than a cell phone. So, I thought maybe I should pass that message to you."

Oh, man! She totally convinced me! "I-I see."

Mai leans closer to me. "So, what do you say, Reo? Are you going to buy one?"

I slowly nod my head. "Y-yes. I'll buy one." I said that rather softly, by the way.

"Excellent! Then, out to the mall to buy phones is underway!" Mai declares happily.

I gasp. "What!?"

"It's still the afternoon, so we have plenty of time to shop for phones, right?"

"Um . . . yeah."

I'm having a sinking feeling that this is going to be a long search at the store. Still, I'm pretty glad that we're going to buy new phones.

**A/N: Well, that's the first chapter. So, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review.**


	2. Phone Shopping

**Chapter 2**

**Phone Shopping**

"There it is, Reo," Mai says as we arrive at the store. "Mobile devices with touch screens."

My eyes widen as I observe most people trying out the devices. "Wow! It looks even better than I pictured!" There wee some old cell phones here and there, but most of the store consisted of phones with touch screens.

"So," Mai says, eagerly. "Do you know which one you want?"

"No," I reply. "There's so many of them that I can't choose one."

"Well, let's look at this section first." She leads me to something called "Samsung Galaxy". That's an odd company.

"Umm . . . this looks complicated," I say while staring at the rectangular phone.

"Not to worry," Mai picks up the phone and touches a few buttons. "See? These apps all have labels on them. And look, they even have internet." She presses the "Internet" app on the phone and my eyes widen as a web browser appears on the screen.

"You can even go on the internet with these phones?" I exclaim. "Maybe technology really did improve over the years."

Mai chuckles. "I still can't believe you've never heard of this stuff."

"Shut up, you idiot," I grumble, turning away.

"You know, for a rich girl like you, you could probably afford these phones, right?"

"I guess, but I'm not buying those. Too many buttons."

Mai can't help but laugh. "Every touch phone has many buttons, silly! Like I said earlier, you'll get the hang of it once you try it a little."

I puff my cheeks out as I frown. "Fine, but take me somewhere else. I want to see what other mobile devices they have."

"No problem," She takes me over to another section where it says "iPhone" on it.

"This looks a bit . . . small," I say, picking up the phone.

"It is, but it's about the same as the other phones we looked at," Mai points out. "Here, give it a try." She hands one of them to me as i stare at it like it's totally new to me.

"So, um . . . I press this to turn it on, right?" I mumble as I touch the center button on the bottom. The screen shows up with an arrow pointing to the right. I slowly slide it and a bunch of apps appear on the screen. My eyes widen in amazement. "Wow! This is so cool!"

"Hmm . . . so you like it, huh?" Mai says while rubbing her chin. "Well, I'm glad you like it."

"Mai, I want one that's pink."

"Oh . . . well, the phones themselves come in white or black, but the store does have colorful cases right over there." She points to a section where a few people are buying those items. "The cases are to protect your phone if you ever drop it. You want one right now?"

"Yes. Get me one that's pink."

"You got it." In less than a minute, Mai comes back with the case I wanted and her own.

"I decided to buy the same phone as you," she says with a smile. "I might just have enough money to buy it anyway."

I just give her a nod as both of us make our way to the cash register to pay for our items. Once that's done, the two of us leave the store, holding hands.

* * *

"And done!" Mai says as she presses a button. "All my contacts have been added."

"Who did you put in there?" I ask.

"Oh, my family's number and yours. I definitely didn't forget that." She checks her phone again. "Let's see . . . I also put in Shizuku -sama's, Kaede-san's and Yuuna-san's number in as well."

"I see," I say, softy as I finish adding my contacts.

"I'm guessing that you're only adding me to your contacts, right?"

"U-umm . . ."

"What about your parent's number? Don't you call them?"

"T-they almost never contact me since they live overseas," I mutter, almost to the point where I'm close to tears.

"Don't say that, Reo. I'm sure your parents still love you even if they are away. Don't they want to know what their daughter is doing right now?"

I hesitate as I think about this and nod. In that case, I immediately put in both of my parents' numbers on my phone and saved it to my contacts.

"Done," I say as I lock up the phone.

"Excellent. Now then, what should we do now?"

"I'm thirsty," I say, quickly.

"Sure," Mai says. "You want hot chocolate, right?"

"Yes, yes. The usual. Make it really sweet, got it?"

Mai gives me a thumbs up and a wink. "You bet!" With that, she's gone in a flash.

I look over my phone, feeling my heart racing as I look at the phone I bought. "My first touch phone," I whisper to myself. "With the case that Mai got me. I'm so happy." To be honest, I can't be any happier now that both of us got new phones. It makes me so excited to play around with it.

_Ring! Ring! Ring!_

The sudden ringing made me jump, almost dropping my phone. "Ah! It's ringing!" I look at the screen to see who it is. "Hmm . . . the number. It's from . . . Mai!?" Why would she be calling me when she's this close in the house? "Hello?"

"Hey, Reo!" Mai says, cheefully on the other line. "Just wanted to test it out and see if you like it. Well, bye now!"

She hangs up. I can feel myself trembling with anger from that unexpected call. Once she gets in the room, I'll make sure I'll give her a peace of my mind! The door opens a minute later and Mai comes in with a cup of hot chocolate in her hand.

"Here you go, Reo," she says as she hands me the cup.

"Thanks," I mutter as I take it and sip on it. "Hey, you almost scared me, calling me like that."

"Hehe! Like I said, I just wanted to test it out."

"Were you doing this just to be silly like last time?"

"Why, no, Reo. Didn't you hear what I said?"

"I did. It's just . . . nerve racking that's all." More like annoying to put it this way.

Mai puts her hand on her hip. "It's not nerve racking if that's what you're thinking. You know, you should be grateful that I would be the first one calling you on our new phones."

"Hnnnn~" I couldn't find anything else to say, so I just turn away, feeling my face burning.

Then, it's just a few minutes of silence. I just keep staring at the ground, looking down at my phone. _Mai does have a point, _I think to myself. _So why am I getting so mad over this?_ "I am grateful. You just scared the heck out of me, that's all."

"Well, you have a weird way of showing it," Mai says, shrugging. She glances at her watch. "Well, time for me to get going. I can't stay in here all day, you know."

"Where are you going?"

"Back to my house. My mom needs me to help out my siblings. I'll see you later."

"Okay, bye."

In a wink of an eye, Mai leaves the room, leaving me seated on the couch. I look over to my received calls again and feel my heart beating. I really am grateful to have Mai be the first to call me.

**A/N: Here's the second chapter for you guys. By the way, I got this whole phone idea from "Reo and Mai Diaries" since the whole topic of the series is getting a new phone. So, I thought I would use the phones we have today and use that as a topic. Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions questions or concerns and don't forget to review. :)**


	3. Amusement Park

**Chapter 3**

**Amusement Park  
**

That afternoon, I sit alone at my apartment, playing on my phone. Mai's back at home, probably helping her siblings with homework. Since my apartment has Wi-Fi, I can download as many games as I would like, or so Mai had said. But after playing for a couple of hours, I get kind of bored, so I fall flat on my bed with the phone at my side. Though it's fun playing on my new phone, it's not the same without Mai. It's only been a few days, though. As I'm about to close my eyes, a ring snaps me back up and quickly look over my caller ID. Mai.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Hi, Reo," Mai greets from the other line. "I'm wondering if this weekend, we could go to an amusement park. Do you want to come?"

"An amusement park?" I repeat.

"Yes. I know a place where they have that. It's going to be super fun."

My eyes narrow in suspicion. "Are you going to trick me like last time at the picnic where you said we're going alone?"

Mai only giggles. "No, no. This time, I'm going to be honest. Sara-san invited all of us to go to the amusement park together this Saturday and we can't have fun without you. So, what do you say?"

I pause as I think about this for a minute. Last time I went to an amusement park with Mai, things weren't going so well. First off, I didn't know much about the rides, second, I wasn't tall enough for most of them and ended up going on the kiddie rides and third, I went into one of those haunted houses and got so scared that I practically clutched to Mai the whole time while having my eyes closed.

"No," I finally answer. "They'll just make me go on those kiddie rides again." They should know how much I hate being called a little kid.

"Oh, Reo. You shouldn't have gone by yourself, then," Mai teases. "By the way, were those kiddie rides fun?"

"Shut up! I just wanted to show you how grown up I was!"

"Well, by the looks of it, people still think you're a child."

"MAI!" I yell into the phone.

"Hehe! It's true, you know? Anyway. you have to go. I don't want to be at the amusement park without my dear Reo!"

"Forget it. It's not happening," I say, bluntly.

"How about I let you buy as many sweets as you want, including cotton candy?"

The mentioning of sweets makes my mouth water. Mai knows for a fact that I have a fondness of sweets and other junk food, so I think I might consider it. "Fine. I'll go. But promise not to take me any scary houses or rides that require tall people!"

"Don't worry, don't worry." Mai assures me. "I'll just convince them that I'm your guardian and then everything will be fine."

"Okay. Keep your promise, got it?"

"I got it. Well, see you this weekend, Reo. Bye."

"Bye."

I hang up as I look out the huge windows from my bed. The sun is setting. I then look over my calendar for today and it's only 2 days away until Saturday. I let out a loud sigh. Why can't the weekend come quicker?

* * *

At long last, the weekend has finally arrived. Mai and I walk over to the front entrance where we were supposed to meet the others. Sure enough, all 6 couples showed up.

Sara-san is the first to notice. "Oh, there they are!" she squeals. "We were expecting you!"

Mai chuckles. "Sorry to keep you all waiting."

"Oh, no. It's fine," Yuuna-san says softly. "We're glad that you two could make it."

Eris takes notice, too and the first thing she does is wrap her arms around me and squeezing me tightly. "Reo~! It's been so long! I've missed you so much!"

I feel like I couldn't breathe. "Eris . . . y-you're suffocating . . . me . . .!"

"But I've missed seeing your adorable looking face," Eris says. "Not to mention your small size!"

I let out a loud growl. "Eris!" She got on my nerves this time! But before I could bite her arm off, she quickly lets go and giggles.

"You're just so cute, Reo," she says.

"That doesn't make me feel better at all," I mutter.

"Hey, hey, you two," Shizuku says gently. "We're at an amusement park, so let's try to enjoy ourselves, okay?"

"Speaking of which, would you mind if Reo and I went along with you and Eris, Shizuku-sama?" Mai asks.

"Not at all," the black-haired girl replies with a smile.

Mai then turns to Risa-san and Miya-san. "And what are you two going to do?"

"Well . . . we haven't decided yet," Risa-san says, glancing at her girlfriend. "Because . . . Miya is afraid of heights, so we're trying to think of something decent for us to do here."

"How about play games instead of going on rides?" Nanami-san suggests.

Risa-san brightens. "Good idea! Hey, Rikka. Want to come with us?"

The teal haired girl smiles. "Sure. Come on, Sayuki-san!"

"Okay!" Sayuki-san says cheefully.

As soon as the four leave, Sara-san is the next to speak. "Oh! Oh! Kaede chan and I are going to ride on the huge teacups. It's going to be so much fun!"

"But . . . aren't we going to get really dizzy?" Kaede-san says shyly.

"Don't worry!" Sara-san wraps her arms around her lover. "We'll get dizzy together!"

"Sara!"

"Come on! No dilly-dallying! Off to the teacups, here we come!"

While Sara-san is dragging her lover along, only Runa-san and Takako-sensei remains.

"Okay, so what are you going to do?" I ask the blonde pig-tailed girl.

"Probably take Sensei to wherever ride I want to go," Runa-san replies with a smile.

"What? But I can just watch you ride them," Takako-sensei tries to protest.

"Oh, are you scared, Sensei?"

"Um . . ."

"Come on. I'm sure one ride will satisfy you." With that, Runa-san drags her sensei with Takako-sensei looking back helplessly and mouthing, "Help me!"

Mai just giggles and waves at her. "Good luck," she mouths back.

Now with the Eris, Shizuku, Mai and me the only ones left, I start taking the lead.

"Hm? Where are you going, Reo?" Mai asks.

"Roller coaster," I reply quickly.

"Um . . . why did you pick that as your first choice?" Shizuku asks. "Can't we pick a ride that's less . . . extreme?"

"Why? You're not fond of these kind of rides?" Eris teases.

"N-no! I'm in a kimono, I'll have you know!"

"Does it really matter?" Mai asks.

Shizuku shyly looks at the ground. "I guess not."

"Okay! Roller coaster, here we come!"

And so, I lead Mai and the others to pay for our tickets and go to the biggest roller coaster in this amusement park. We give the guy our tickets and strap ourselves in our seats. Mai and I were sitting in the front while Eris and Shizuku were behind us. The ride starts off fine until it goes up on top of a very tall hill. Mai and I swallow hard as we witness how high we are from here. I'm feeling that Eris and Shizuku are the same way. By that time, after screaming our heads off for at least 15 minutes, going up and down and a few loops, the ride slows down and ends next to the entrance. All four of us get out and exchange looks. Our hair looks sort of messed up from the extreme speed of the roller coaster and probably lost our voices from all the screaming. But all of us laughed it off, as if saying, "That was the greatest ride ever!"

"So, where do you want to go next, Reo?" Mai asks. She spots a merry-go round near the kids' section. "You want to go there?"

"No." I answer quickly. "Don't you know that it's for little kids? And didn't I tell you before that we're not going on some kiddie rides like last time?"

Mai only chuckles.

"Maybe this time, I'll pick," Eris says, suddenly taking my hand. "Shall we, Reo?"

"Wait, where are we going?"

"To the games, of course!" Eris replies with a wink.

* * *

"Uhhhhh . . . why are we in a mini-basketball game?" I ask as soon as we arrive at the booth with small basketballs with hoops that are about 5-10 feet away from us.

"I'm going to test you on your sports skills," Eris answers as she picks up a ball.

"Wha!?" This is not what I had in mind.

"Good luck, Reo!" Mai calls as she waves at me.

I can't believe Eris picked something I'm worst at. I couldn't even shoot a hoop at P.E. But if Eris wants a competition, she's going to get one!

"Alright then," I say, full of determination. "First one to shoot ten hoops is the winner!"

Eris turns to me, dumbfounded. "Reo?"

"You're going down, Eris! I can't let some older girl like you beat me at something I'm not good at!" Yes, Reo. Prove to everybody that you're not just a sore loser and you can win something for once!

"Well, okay. Don't get your hopes up, though."

"I won't."

I look up at the hoop with direct contact before glancing at the ball. I jump a few inches in the air and throw the ball. A miss. I grab another one and take another shot. Again, a miss. I look over at Eris who already has 4 points. Grr! I'll show her who's boss! I pick up another ball, focus on the hoop, and shoot it. The hoop rattles for a bit as the ball hits the rear. I clench my fists in desperation as the ball spins a few times. And then, the ball falls out of the rim.

"Dang it!" I grunt, throwing my fists down in frustration. "Why is it so freaking hard!?"

"Want me to show you, Reo?" Mai offers.

"No! I can do it myself!" I protest. I take the ball in my hands again and look at the hoop. Raising the ball in the air, I completely focus on the net and then shoot it. Finally, the ball makes it into the net. I do a fist pump in the air. "Yes! 2 points!"

"Great job," Eris says. "But unfortunately, I already reached 10 points."

"What!?" She won already? How's that possible!?

"You know, you shouldn't turn everything into a competition, Reo," Mai notifies.

"Ugh . . . it wouldn't be fun if it weren't a competition," I point out.

"That's what you said when the two of us played tennis that one day in Karuizawa," Mai reminds me. "But it all ended the same way, especially with Eris-sama."

"Mai, you idiot," I mutter as I turn away. "Alright, Eris. You've won fair and square."

"Oh, don't feel bad, Reo," Eris assures her. "At least you got one shot successfully."

"Yes, one shot," I say sarcastically.

I can feel Mai ruffle my hair playfully. "Aw, my little Reo is still a sore loser! Yet, she made a shot all on her own!"

I tremble with anger at her words. "M-M-M . . ."

"Muh?"

"MAI, YOU IDIOT!"

* * *

After about a few hours, the sun is setting and all of us had a great time at all of the rides and games. Mai and I rest on the bench while the others are finishing up some of the rides and Eris and Shizuku just left a moment ago.

"Hah, what a long day," I sigh as I slump down on the bench.

"Yes, but it was a fun day," Mai says with a smile. "I couldn't been happier than spending it with you, Reo."

"Y-yes," I mutter while turning away and feeling my heart racing. "U-um, I'm thirsty."

"Oh, do you want me to go get us some milkshakes?"

"Oh, yes please," I say. "Oh, and some cotton candy, too."

"Coming right up," Mai says as she stands up, winks at me and leaves.

I take a rest on the bench as I look up at the orange sky. Yes, this is my best time with Mai and all my other friends here at this amusement park and I'm never going to forget this day. As I take out my phone to play some games, I hear a voice coming from my right.

"Well, if it isn't the little blonde midget? Sitting alone on this bench without her lover around, I see?"

I quickly look up to see a familiar girl standing with a bag strapped over her shoulder. She is wearing some revealing summer clothing and a visor on her head.

"Matsuri-san!?

**A/N: Oh, a cliff hanger! Always love writing those! Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	4. The Return

**Chapter 4**

**The Return**

"Matsuri-san!?"

"I know who I am," she says as she flips her now dyed silver hair with a thin yellow bow tied to the back of her head. Back then, it used to be teal colored. "And, drop the honorific. Matsuri is fine."

I can't believe she's here. She's the girl that had confessed to me back in school and is jealous of Mai. "W-what are you doing here?" I manage to ask.

"Oh, I was just enjoying my time at the amusement park when suddenly I noticed you were alone on the bench," Matsuri answers. She walks over closer to me and leans down to my level. "So, Reo-sama, how does it feel to get engaged?"

"What? How did you . . ."

"I just happened to watch Mai-sama propose to you behind the bushes that day when we graduated," Matsuri explains. "I felt so furious that she chose you as her bride.

"Well, first come first served," I say, shrugging.

"Don't start. You know, for someone like Mai-sama to fall in love with you, she's made a big mistake."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're not good enough for her. All she ever does is take care of you. After all, you only rely on her even when there's the most simplest things a person could do. You could have had a real girlfriend like me."

"Hey, it's none of your business!" I snap at her. "Besides, what do you know about being in a relationship?"

Matsuri just clears her throat and adjusts her shoulders. "By the way, where's Mai-sama? Did she abandon you again?"

"No. She just went to get drinks and cotton candy."

"Interesting. Well, since I'm here, I might as well take advantage of this situation."

I frown at her. "What do you mean?"

She quickly sits next to me and puts her hands on my shoulders. "Let's just say that we need to catch up on what we missed." In an instant, she pushes me down on the ground and jumps on top of me before I can even get up.

"W-wait, what are you doing?"

"Like I said, we're catching up on what we've missed." She rubs my chest in circles, making me moan in pain. "Wow, tiny breasts." Her hand then creeps down to my leg and rubs against my thighs. "Ah, such silky, smooth skin, like a little girl again."

"M-Matsuri . . . w-what if people . . . saw us like this?"

"Don't worry," she whispers. "No one's noticing right now, not even Mai-sama." She then caresses my cheek. "Besides, if you hadn't had your eyes on that tomboy, we would've had a relationship from the start."

"Well, it's too late for that now, is it?" I counter.

"No, it's not," Matsuri says with a smirk. "I still have a winning chance." She leans closer to me. "And I can prove it to you."

That's when I know what she's going to do. "Ah! N-no!" I cry as I try to push her away with all my might. "No, don't! Please! Mmph!" It's too late. Matsuri's lips are already planted against mine, and it's a rough kiss.

When we part lips, the silver haired girl gazes at me lovingly. "Oh, I just missed this most of all, Reo-sama. You're just too adorable to resist." She leans in again.

"Matsuri, no . . . Mmph!"

"Hold still, Reo-sama. This is just the beginning of our relationship." She continues to kiss me as I helplessly struggle to get free.

When she parts lips again, she gazes at me with lovestruck eyes. "Reo-sama . . . I . . ."

"HEY! WHAT IN THE HECK ARE YOU DOING TO REO!? GET AWAY FROM HER!" Mai's voice shouts from a few feet away.

I quickly look over to notice my lover standing there with clenched fists, having dropped our cotton candy in the process and milkshakes and an angry face staring at Matsuri. The silver haired girl wouldn't even budge.

"I said get away from her!" As quick as light, she runs towards us, shoving Matsuri out of the way and helping me up. I quickly wrap my arms around her for safety.

"Mai!" I cry.

"Reo, are you alright!?" Mai asks.

"Mai-sama!?" Matsuri blurts out before I could even answer.

Mai glares at the girl. "Who are you? And what are you doing to Reo?"

The silver haired girl gets up and flips her hair. "Ah, I don't believe we've met. My name is Matsuri Tojo. I used to be in your class back in third year a St. Michaels."

"What?" Mai's eyes widen in shock.

"You heard me. And I've also found out that you are in a relationship with Reo-sama, yes?"

"H-how did you find out?"

"Why, some rumors," Matsuri replies matter-of-factly. "And then I made Reo-sama tell me how long you two have been going out. It was so easy to convince her."

Mai's eyes darts fro me to Matsuri a few times, still shocked about what's going on.

"Anyway, I also heard that you two are engaged. I would have loved to congratulate you two, but there's just one problem: I'm in love with Reo-sama as well."

"W-what?" Mai gasps, cupping one hand in her mouth.

I've been interested in her the same time she first laid eyes on you, Mai-sama," Matsuri continues. "Since then, you've been going out with this naive, childish fiend and you never stopped loving her. Until that one day, when you were gone for two whole weeks, I was able to finally confess my love to her. It was so easy doing that and it made me feel special."

"Special, you say?" Mai mutters, clenching her fists in anger. I continue to hold on to her while hiding behind her.

"Yes," Matsuri replies as she points her index finger at her. "But you, Mai Sawaguchi. You were the one she's mostly in love with. Well, let me tell you this: you're not good enough to be her girlfriend! She's been relying on you way too much and you give in to her childish desires. You're also babying her too much either. When will she ever walk on her own, huh?"

Mai just stays silent as she still has her fists clenched in anger.

"And you even abandoned her without even telling her what the heck is going on!" Matsuri continues. "If I were you, I would go and tell her right away. Then, she wouldn't be worried sick over something that has been kept from her! So, how is she going to trust you this time?"

"Shut up," Mai says firmly. "I'll have you know that I didn't abandon her. My little brother was sick and had to take him to the hospital for treatment. And . . . you don't know a thing about Reo. Sure I take care of her a lot, but that's just to help her out. She may be a little naive and childish as well, but that's what I love about her. She still has a chance to learn some things. It's not that bad. The more important thing is that I love her no matter what. We even promised that we'd stay by each other's side for as long as we live and we've been keeping that promise." She walks up to Matsuri and pokes her hard in the chest. "So, don't ever come near Reo again. You hear me?"

Matsuri just shrugs, not even the slightest bit surprised by her anger. "Alright, fine. But I'm warning you: Reo will and forever be mine and there's nothing you can do to stop me."

Mai puts her hands on her hips. "We'll see about that."

The silver haired girl glances at her watch. "Well, I have to go. This is boring me anyways." She turns to leave, but slightly turns her head back. "Be warned, Mai-sama."

Mai rolls her eyes. "Whatever."

Matsuri shrugs and walks away. As soon as she's out of sight, Mai turns to me with worried eyes.

"Reo . . ." she starts to say.

But I'm already in tears. Having to see Mai defend me like that was just brave and protective. And I couldn't have asked for more. "Mai . . . _sniff . . . _ngh . . . Waaaahhh!" I plunge into Mai's chest, sobbing my heart out.

"Reo . . ."

"I can't go with that girl! I just can't!" I sob. "She's too cruel and mean and she even tried to rape me!" I clutch my hand onto Mai's shirt as I shut my eyes tightly. "Please, Mai! I want to stay with you, not her. Please . . ."

Mai puts on a serious expression, tips my chin up and wipes the tears off my cheek with her other. "Of course. That's why I love you, Reo. No matter what that girl says, I'm always going to be by your side."

I sniffle. "R-really?"

She caresses my cheek. "Absolutely. After all, we're engaged, so there's nothing to worry about."

"Mai . . ." I couldn't say anything else, so I just plant my lips against hers. This gives a much better feeling than Matsuri's.

Mai soon returns the kiss and neither of us wanted to let go.

****Mai's POV****

"Mom, I'm home," I call as soon as I enter the house.

"Hi, Mai-chan," she greets me. "How was the amusement park?"

"It was fun," I answer. "Reo and I went to some cool rides and played some fun games."

Just then, my little brother and sister jump in and give me a hug from both sides.

"We missed you, Onee-chan!" My sister says.

"Where did you go?" My brother asks.

"To the amusement park," I tell him. "Weren't you paying attention?"

"He had homework to do, sweetie," Mom says.

I nod in understanding.

"Oh! Oh! Can we go to the amusement park, too!?" My sister begs Mom.

"Yeah!" My brother agrees. "We want to have fun, too!"

"Now, now," Mom says. "We can go to the amusement park some day. I'll probably think about it for a bit."

I smile at my two siblings as they let go of me. They then rush to their own room upstairs.

"I guess I should be heading to my room, too," I say. "Good-night, Mom."

"Good-night, Mai-chan."

I walk upstairs to my room, close the door and slump on my bed. As I let out a sigh, I think about what Matsuri had told me. She's been in love with Reo since second year? I had no idea that happened during that time. But then again, maybe because I've been with Reo a lot, I haven't noticed at all. And she tells me that I'm not being a good girlfriend? Now, that hit me hard, like an arrow was shot at me. I may be taking care of her more than I intend to, but lately, Reo's been doing things on her own since she's growing up. And now the two of us are finally getting married, so Matsuri won't have a chance to have her once we do that. I'm not gonna let that girl take my Reo away from me. She's much too dangerous for her own good.

**A/N: Well, that's the fourth chapter for you all. Oh, and in case you're wondering where I got the name "Matsuri" as my new character, I got this name from a couple of mangas, "Citrus" and "Miss Sunflower". In Citrus, the Matsuri in here acts as an antagonist and in Miss Sunflower, the Matsuri in there acts as a nice girl that is interested in a librarian. **

**Now, I may have stolen some of Matsuri's personality in Citrus, but that's all I can come up with. If you haven't read any of those two ****mangas, you should. They're really great! **

**Anyway, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	5. Advice

**Chapter 5**

**Advice**

**A/N: Sorry for taking so long to update. I've been having writer's block for a while, but never fear! Here's another chapter for you all! By the way, thanks for the awesome reviews. It got me motivated to keep going with this story. :)**

****Mai's Point of View****

I sit at a coffee shop, waiting for Yuuna-san and Kaede-san to arrive. Last night, I couldn't stop thinking about what Matsuri did to Reo. Reo never deserved any of this and she had no idea that Matsuri had her eyes on her since second year. After Reo told me everything about Matsuri, I just couldn't get my head straight. I needed help and I think Yuuna-san and Kaede-san could be of use. After all, we were considered class representatives from St. Michaels and probably popular with most of the girls.

The bell rings as the door opens and my two friends from St. Michaels arrive. I wave them over to come sit by me. Once that's done, we are all in a triangle in this circular table.

"So, what's up?" Yuuna-san asks.

"I want to tell you guys something," I reply. "It has to do with me and Reo."

"What about you two?" Kaede-san asks.

I glance at the ground while nervously fidgeting with my blue skirt. "Well, you see, we have a bit of a problem. There's this girl who wants to interfere with our relationship and we didn't know about it until she told us."

"Who is this girl?" Yuuna-san asks.

"Her name is Matsuri Tojo, a girl that used to be in mine and Reo's class back in third year. She's in love with Reo the same time I had laid eyes on her."

Yuuna-san and Kaede-san gasp at the same time. "No way!" they say in unison.

"I know," I say, slamming my fist on the table. "And I didn't freaking know about it until now! Now she wants her hands on Reo and I don't know how to stop her!"

Yuuna-san puts her index finger on her chin and cocks her head to one side. "So, Matsuri-san is your rival, right?"

"Apparently," I reply. "That's why I called you two here. To help me assess the situation, so that we never have to deal with her again."

Both of my friends think for a moment before exchanging glances and looks at me sadly.

"Sorry, Mai-san," Kaede-san says. "For now, we got nothing."

"Unless you two find a way to spend some time alone together without Matsuri-san finding out," Yuuna-san says, holding one finger up. "I mean, it's been two years since you two got engaged."

"Yes, but she really wants Reo all to herself," I say. "She said so herself. She will do anything to spend her day with Reo, no matter how long it's been."

"Where is she now?"

"Back at the apartment," I reply. "Matsuri doesn't even know her address, so Reo should be safe for now."

"I see," Yuuna-san puts her finger on her chin again. "Hmm . . . Matsuri-san seems very determined then. If anything, I'd say prove to her that you're a better girlfriend to Reo-san than her. Besides, you two have been together longer than her."

"Excuse me," Kaede-san says softly. "But could you tell us what happened when you first met Matsuri-san?"

It takes me a few minutes to remember what happened. "Well, I was getting cotton candy and milkshakes for Reo and me after an exhausting, but fun time at the amusement park. Then, I come back to see Matsuri on top of Reo, looking like she's going to rape her. I was so shocked and mad that some other girl would do that to Reo. Then, she told me everything about her being in love with Reo and all. And then, I knew that I have a rival trying to take my lover from me."

"Oh, my," Yuuna-san says. "That's terrible."

"Is Reo-san alright?" Kaede-san asks.

"She's fine," I reply. "She's just . . . shaken from what happened yesterday, so she and I are taking a break from each other for a while." She told me that she needed to rest up when I asked her to go for a walk earlier today, so that's why I came here. She sounded a little sad as well, so that made me feel a little bad for her.

"I see," Yuuna-san says. "Well, don't let that Matsuri girl get to you. Spend as much time with Reo-san as possible."

"May we wish you two the best of luck," Kaede-san says with a smile. "We know you can do it."

I smile back at both of my friends. "Thanks, you guys. I feel a lot better now."

Then, all three of us serve ourselves some drinks and go onto another topic that seems uneventful, but enjoyable. It's been so long since I spent time with them like this.

* * *

Getting advice from Yuuna-san and Kaede-san helped a little, to be honest, but I'm still worried about Reo. What would Matsuri do to her if she ever saw her again? I better keep my eyes open for her in case she pops up again and tries to steal Reo away from me.

"What should I do now?" I ask no one in particular while still walking in the streets. Reo might still be resting, so I shouldn't wake her up for a while. Until then, there's nothing else I can do other than taking a very long walk to think this through with Matsuri.

I enter the mall to have a look around for a bit just to keep my mind off of that fiend. It's pretty crowded for a Sunday morning. Smiling, I continue to walk down the long halls until a candy store catches my eye. Hmm . . . maybe giving Reo a little sweets might cheer her up and keep her mind off of Matsuri. Rushing into the store, I pick out several different kinds, including Carmel apples and lollipops and pay for the items. Once that's done, I exit the store with a smile on my face. This will surely cheer Reo up, I know it!

* * *

When arriving at Reo's apartment, I knock on her door and waited for an answer. I hear a moan coming from her and tiny footsteps toward the door. Soon, the door opens and out comes a tired Reo with bedhead hair.

"Mm . . . Mai?"

"Good morning, Sleepy Head," I tease.

"What are you doing here? I was asleep, you know?"

"Yes, but I thought I might buy a little something to cheer you up." I hold up the bag of candy. "See? You can only take a few though. The rest are for later, got it?"

"Fine," she says as she lets me in, closes the door and digs into the bag I'm holding.

She pulls out one carmel apple, a chocolate bar and a huge lollipop. I then tie up the bag so that Reo wouldn't get into any more, drop it off on the table next to the door so I wouldn't forget it and sit next to her on the bed.

"I thought we were taking a break from each other," Reo reminds me, taking a bite out of her chocolate bar. "You know how much it affected me after what Matsuri did."

"I know, but I'm worried about you," I reply, giving her a sad look. "Besides, who knows if Matsuri gets your address and sneaks in here to steal you away from me?"

Reo's eyes widen. "Would she really do that?"

"No. And she never will know your address as long as your safe in this apartment."

"But I can't stay in here forever. I need some fresh air, you know?"

I nod. "I understand that, but all I'm saying is that if Matsuri doesn't know your address, she won't get to you. Besides, I'm living with you in this apartment anyway, so it's even better."

Reo slowly nods as she finishes up her chocolate bar. Her face turns bright red as she lays her head on my lap, which surprises me a little.

"R-Reo!" I say.

"I-I'm still tired, that's all," she mutters. "A girl like me needs her sleep, right?"

I can't help but giggle. Reo sleeping on my lap is the most adorable thing I've ever seen. So adorable that I makes me want to tease her. Stroking her hair, I whisper in her ear, "You just want me to stay with you isn't it?"

"N-no, that's not it at all!"

"Ohhh, your expression says so. Hehe!"

"Shut up, you idiot! I told you I was still tired!"

"You know I can always tell. Don't hide it from me . . ." I start to lean in to kiss her.

Then, all of a sudden, Reo's eyes widen and quickly pushes me away as she sits up. I don't know what was going on, but I'm having the feeling I must have triggered her memory.

"R-Reo?" I stutter, feeling scared right now.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, her head staring at the ground while quietly trembling. "Matsuri must have came in my mind once you started doing that."

I knew it. "I should be the one who's sorry. I just wasn't thinking until that happened. Please forgive me."

Reo's eyes fill with tears. "Mai . . . I'm scared. What if Matsuri shows up again?"

I caress her cheek. "Don't worry. Remember yesterday, I said that I would still be by your side. We're going to show that girl that we're a much better couple than she thinks. I'll be there to protect you."

All Reo could do is nod and wrap her arms around me. I hug her back tenderly as I think about what to do to keep Matsuri away from my darling Reo.

**A/N: To be honest, this is probably a boring chapter, but who knows? Again, sorry for the late update and I promise to finish this story soon. Your reviews keep me motivated to write more, so kudos to you guys! :) **

**Oh, and most of you wanted me to write about Mai getting jealous. Well it's happening in the next chapter, so thanks so much for the suggestion.**

** In the meantime, feel free to give out any more suggestions, some questions or concerns and don't forget to review. ;)**


	6. Rivalry

**Chapter 6**

**Rivalry**

**Bold = Characters talking in unison**

It's been about a week since we had encountered that Matsuri girl. The good news is that she's not been showing up for the past week, which gave me time to think of something to do with Reo. And I know just the place to go. I decide to take Yuuna-san's advice. Stretching out my arms after sitting up from the same bed that Reo is sleeping in, I softly shake her awake.

"Mm . . . just five more minutes," she mumbles while shuffling around.

I softly giggle at this adorable sight. A sleepy Reo is too cute to even wake up. "Aww . . . but we're not in school anymore. So, I can wake you whenever I want to."

Just then, she sits up as well, revealing her cute little nightgown that I bought her some time ago. "Now, look here: you may be living in this apartment, but it's still my room and you can't do whatever you want to me either!"

"Oh, but I want to," I teasingly reply.

Reo blushes bright red and turns away. "Sh-shut up! I lived here longer than you, so you need to abide my rules!"

"Who says anything about rules?" I say with a smirk. "We're together now, so it's no big deal."

"Hnnnnnnn~"

"What's wrong? You don't want me to be with you?"

"Ugh . . . Hmph! Fine, but I'm warning you: if you do something so ridiculous, I'll make sure you've learned your lesson!"

"Fine, fine." I chuckle while dismissively waving my hand. "Anyway, I have an idea of where we can spend our time together."

"Eh? We're going somewhere already?"

"Mm-hmm," I reply. "And it's not the mall either."

"Then, where are we going?"

I smile as I wink at her. "It's my own little secret."

Reo groans as she slumps back down on the bed. "Argh! Why do you always have to keep secrets!?"

"Because it's fun, silly!"

"You're no fair, Mai!"

* * *

"Here it is, Reo," I say as I release my hands from her eyes.

Her eyes widen as she notices that we are now at a water park, the biggest and most fun water park in all of Japan.

"Wow!" she says, looking around the park.

You could tell that it's pretty amazing, from great water slides, fountains to the giant bucket on top of the park, in which she notices. "What's that over there?"

"Oh, that's one of the best parts of this park," I explain. "Once the giant bucket fills up with water coming from that yellow pipe, lots of water will come pouring down the entire park! Like _Ka-bloosh!_"

Reo's eyes widen. "That's sounds . . . scary."

"Oh, crazy, not scary," I chuckle. "Come on, let's go change."

I'm about to leave when I feel a tug on my sleeve. I turn around to notice Reo, face flushing red while slightly turning away.

"What is it, Reo?"

"U-um . . . I can't . . . even swim."

"Don't worry. I can teach you how."

"O-okay," she says with a slight nod.

Oh, Reo? Why do you always have to be this cute? Even for a fact that you don't know how to swim. Both of us go to the changing room to put on our bathing suits that we wore that summer when we were on the beach with everyone else, including Rikka-san and Sayuki-san. After about 10 minutes, I am the first to come out of the changing room.

"Reo, come on! The water's going to be fun!"

"I'm not coming out," she mutters from behind the door.

"Aw, why?"

"It feels embarrassing! Besides, you're gonna be all over me like last time!"

"Oh, don't be such a guppy."

"I'm not a guppy!" Reo shouts, still from behind the door. "I can come out whenever I feel like it!"

I just shrug. "Whatever you say." I start walking towards the park when I turn back and say, "Hey, Reo! I'm going to leave without you!"

"That's fine with me!" Reo calls back.

I'm about to say something when someone crashes into me, making both of us fall on the hard ground. I rub my head in pain as I sit up.

"Can you watch where you're going?" I say to whoever crashed into me. But when I fully take a look at the person, my eyes widen.

**"YOU!? WAIT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?"**

We both point at each other.

**"I ASKED YOU FIRST! NO, I ASKED YOU FIRST!"**

Finally, we realized we were just being silly.

"Okay, okay, look," I say, holing a hand up. "I think we both know why we're here, but it's strange having to meet each other here."

I take a look at her swim suit. She seems to be wearing a regular teal colored bikini. Both of us stand up and glare at each other.

"I don't know what you're up to, but you're not getting near Reo-sama," Matsuri says.

"Oh, yeah," I say, while putting my hands on my hips. "I was the one who decided to go to this place."

"Well, so did I," Matsuri counters.

"What!?"

"Now, enough chit-chat. Where's Reo-sama?"

I turn away in disgust. "L-like I would tell you!"

A smirk comes across Matsuri's face. "I think I know just where she is." She makes her way into the changing room.

Dang it! She must have heard Reo somehow. "NO! You can't go in there!"

"I can do whatever I want." Matsuri shrugs and continues her way to the room.

"I don't think so!" As quick as light, I tackle the silver haired girl to the ground and try to wrestle her from getting closer to Reo. Matsuri tries to break free from my grasp, but I tighten my grip even more. She's not getting to Reo, even if it means sacrificing myself for her!

"Get off me, you witch!" she shouts as she continues to try to break free.

"Not gonna happen!" I shout back, keeping a tight grip on her.

We continue to wrestle each other until Reo peaks out from the changing room. Her eyes darted to Matsuri, which startles her and hides behind the door. I push away Matsuri and try to reach out towards her.

"Reo?" I say gently, "Don'to be shy. You can come out."

Reo remains hidden behind the door, feeling very scared. Matsuri just rolls her eyes.

"Oh, please," she scoffs. "Is _that _how you beckon your girlfriend? I've got a better way." She forces the door open, grabs Reo by the arms and pulls her close. "There, now we're together."

My eyebrows furrow at her as I take Reo back. "I don't need advice from freaks like you."

The silver haired girl glares back at me. "Oh yeah? I bet she's just afraid of you the way you were holding your hand out like that. You're not her pet, you know?"

"I can be, sometimes!" Reo shoots her own glare at the silver haired freak.

Matsuri just gazes down lovingly at the blonde. "Aww . . . you finally spoke. Why don't you be _my _pet instead?" She tips Reo's chin as she says this and is about to kiss her.

My inner volcano has finally erupted. Before Matsuri could plant her lips against Reo's, I quickly pull my lover away from her just in time. Reo wraps her arms around me as a thank you. Whew, good thing she still loves me.

"Well, well," I say with a smirk, "look what the judge picked as her final decision?"

Matsuri's eyes widen a little, but then scoffs as if my joke didn't even surprise her. "Whatever."

"Face it, Matsuri. You can never have Reo because she loves me more than you do. You shouldn't have waited so long to confess to her when she is already in love with someone else!"

"That doesn't concern me any more!"

"You're pathetic. Now if you'll excuse us, I'm going to teach my Reo how to swim."

With that, the two of us leave with Matsuri clenching her fists in anger.

"THIS IS NOT OVER YET . . . MAI SAWAGUCHI!"

* * *

Over at the shallow section at a little pool, with Reo on a floatie, I stay beside her while teaching her how to swim. I had told her to lightly kick her legs while hanging on to the edge is good practice for when she's really swimming. So she does. I can't help but giggle at how adorable she looks when she's kicking her small legs like that. It makes me want to push her down right then and there.

"Maiiii, this is so exhausting!" She complains.

"You've only been doing it for 10 minutes, right?" I ask as I raise an eyebrow while putting a hand on my hip.

"10 minutes is too long!"

"Oh, stop complaining and kick your cute little feet." I slightly giggle at that last part.

"Mai, you idiot." Despite the complaining, she continues to do what I told her. Oh, Reo, you're just so cute~

"Wow, great teaching session," Matsuri's voice says from above.

I look up and glare at her. Why does she have to ruin everything? "Can you freaking get out of here? I'm trying to teach her here!"

"Oh, at the shallow end for little kids? I can do better than that. Come, Reo-sama." She pulls Reo out of the water and skips over to the bigger pool, where I know that it might be too dangerous for her to go.

"No, wait!" I beg as I burst out of the water and run after them.

As I finally arrive at the bigger pool, I find Reo and Matsuri already in the water . . . with Reo's floatie left behind! If Reo drowns I'll never be able to forgive myself!

"Now then," Matsuri says. "Here's how a pro like me teaches you how to swim. I've been on the swim team since I was 4, so I know what I'm doing." She then eyes me viciously. "Unlike Mai-sama over there."

My eyes widen as though I was offended. "Hey!"

From them on, while sitting on an edge of the pool, I reluctantly watch the two as Matsuri is giving her lessons. To be honest, even if my lessons were simple, Matsuri's way of teaching is way more advanced and detailed and it actually made Reo interested. Each time Matsuri teaches a lesson, Reo would quickly follow and maybe even ask her to show her. And each time Matsuri would gladly show Reo and touch her arms or whatever parts of her body, I become even more angry than before. Is Matsuri really trying to show me off?

"Great job, Reo-sama!" Matsuri says while looking up at me and winking. "Was my lessons less boring than Mai-sama's?"

I give her a dirty look and mimick mockingly, "Less boring than Mai-sama's? Give me a freaking break!"

Matsuri just chuckles. "Jealous?"

I feel that if that witch says anything more aggravating, I'm going to go in there and drown her right here. So I just don't say anything while biting my lip and clenching my fists in anger, trying not explode in front of millions of people.

Matsuri just shrugs and turns to Reo. "You want another lesson, Reo-sama?"

"U-um . . . actually, I don't feel like swimming anymore." Reo slowly makes her way out of the water and comes near me.

"Reo-sama!" Matsuri begs as she turns around and makes her way out of the pool as well.

I look down at her worriedly. "What's wrong, Reo?"

"I'm hungry," she says softly. "Can we get something to eat?"

I nod. "Of course. I'm starving, too. Why don't we grab ourselves a smoothie?"

"That sounds good," Reo says with a smile.

"Great," I say. "Since we're buying it . . . "

**"I'LL PAY FOR IT!" **

Matsuri and I look at each other and each shoot a glare.

**"NO, I'M PAYING FOR IT! NO, I AM! NO, I AM!"**

I hold my hand up again. "Look, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

"Well since I'm buying a smoothie and other food, too, I think I should pay for all of it!"

I roughly shake my head. "No, I can pay for all of it since it's only for me and Reo!"

"I told you I was going to pay for it!"

"I am!"

"No, I am!"

"GAAAAAHHHHHH! THAT'S IT!" Reo cries out, finally losing her patience. "IF NO ONE'S GOING TO PAY FOR THIS DANG FOOD, I GUESS I HAVE TO PAY FOR ALL OF IT!"

* * *

About 10 minutes have passed and Reo pays for the food just as she promised. We were told to wait for a couple minutes for the food to get prepared, so in the meantime, our smoothies are served right away. Matsuri and I keep shooting glares at each other as we try to find a table to sit in. Once we both see one that is suitable, both of us try to push each other out of the way to escort Reo to the table.

"Hey, Reo," I try calling out. "I found a table we could both sit in."

"No, I found it first," Matsuri counters as she shoves me out of the way.

"I found it first."

"No, I did, Reo-sama."

Reo just closes her eyes, walks right past us and sits down at a random table that Matsuri and I didn't even pick. With that in mind, I shove Matsuri to the ground and walk over to Reo's table.

"On second thought, this is perfect," I say with a smile since this round table fits only two people.

Reo just giggles as she takes a sip of her smoothie. As I take a sip of my own, I slightly look over at the silver haired girl and just wink at her. I'm sure I've set her off into flames of fury, which is probably a good thing to me. I'm not going to give up that easily, you freak.

Suddenly, a guys comes in the middle of the cafe and holds up a sign that says, "18"

"Number 18?" He calls out.

I look over at the number I was given when we payed for the food. Sure enough, it looks like it's our turn, so I stand up, tell Reo that I'll be back with the food momentarily and leave in a flash. But look who decided to join me?

"Matsuri, I'm sure one person is able to handle the food," I notify her.

"Oh, don't worry, Mai-sama," she says with a smirk. "That's why I'm going to beat you to the counter to get the food." With that, she runs past me at a burst of speed.

"HEY!" I shout as I run after her.

Both of us get to the counter just in time as our food is served. I shove Matsuri out of the way, quickly get the large tray of food and leave with Matsuri running after me.

When I arrive at our table, I greet Reo with a smile. "Hey, Reoooo~ I brought our food." I serve a fish sandwich with fries, some lemonade and a cookie for desert. I basically got the same thing.

Matsuri has the chicken kabobs she ordered, in which I leave it on the tray and toss it to another table far from where I am. Gritting her teeth, Matsuri stomps over to the table and reluctantly eats there while me and Reo happily eating together and sharing each other's food like we used to as lovers.

* * *

A half hour later, the three of us eventually played around the huge park with the other kids. We were having fun with all the water slides, toys and other fun stuff to play with. But Matsuri and I were mostly fighting over playing with Reo. That only was short lived because Reo had grown tired of playing with Matsuri after about 5 minutes. She then asked me to play with her, in which I accepted her offer and the two of us ended up having fun together even longer than she had with Matsuri.

And the best part is that I took Reo to where the giant bucket is since it's almost time for the huge downpour to start. When it finally reached its limit, _Ka-bloosh! _The bucket pours huge amounts of water on a big flat board, making the water spread out through the entire park, making almost everyone, including me and Reo, completely drenched.

When we get bored of playing, I decide to buy us some toys and souvenirs at a little store that's across the park. Both of us go in and look around for a bit. A couple of _Nerf _Super Soaker water guns catches Reo's eye rather quickly and runs over to it.

"You want that one?" I ask.

"Yes!" Reo replies excitedly.

"Alright then. Two Super Soakers for us." I take them and put them in the basket I am carrying.

We end up buying more stuff from there, like new sandals, toy fish that swim around in your pool when turned on and some floaters for Reo to put on the next time she swims. We exit the store to notice Matsuri standing there with clenched fists.

"You're lucky that I didn't have enough money to buy stuff for Reo-sama," she says.

"Huh, well too bad for you." I reply sarcastically as both Reo and I walk away.

* * *

Finally, it's about 5:00 and the sun's about to set. Reo and I were at the huge pool with me giving her more lessons on how to swim. It didn't go as well as I had hoped since Reo was making a lot of mistakes, but most of the time, I would laugh to myself at some of those adorable ones that I couldn't resist watching.

When both of us finish, we get out of the water and grab some towels to dry ourselves off. But the one thing I notice is Reo's ring finger is empty.

"Reo," I say. "Where is your ring?"

"Hm?" She checks it to see that it's gone. "Wha!? H-how . . . I swear I set it down somewhere before we got to the pool!"

"Looking for this?"

Reo and I turn our heads to see Matsuri holding up Reo's engagement ring with an evil smile on her face.

"You have no chance of proving that you're engaged without this, can you?" She chuckles.

I glare at her. "Give that back this instant!"

"How did you find it anyway?" Reo asks.

"I noticed you putting it in your little bag to keep it from sinking into the pool, which gave me an idea," Matsuri explains. She turns to me. "Now then, surrender Reo-sama to me or this ring's history."

"Never!" I shout at her.

"My, someone needs to learn some manners."

I clench my fists in anger. "Maybe someone should learn to not interfere with my relationship with Reo!" As quick as light, I rush in and grab hold of Matsuri while trying to reach for the ring.

The silver haired girl skillfully keeps it out of reach while backing away to the deep end of the pool. While I keep straining myself to get it, Matsuri holds the ring above the water with a smile on her face.

"Now, I'll ask you one last time," she says, "Surrender Reo-sama to me and everything will be all over."

"I told you, I will never give my Reo to you!" I shout. "I've known her longer than you have, so it's too late for you to have a relationship with her!"

"No, it's not," she sneers into my face. "You know why?" She lowers her right arm where she's holding the ring. "I always win."

But before she lets go of the ring, Reo immediately dives right into us, causing Matsuri to toss the ring in the opposite direction and land safely in a potted plant. We fall to the ground after the unexpected attack, but I suddenly hear a slash that soon followed. I quickly look around to notice that Reo is not here. Which could only mean . . .

"Help!" Reo cries while waving her arms around. "Mai, help me! I . . . I still can't swim without a floatie!" She was thrown far from where we are and there's practically no one watching, even the lifeguard who is gone for some freaking reason!

"MAI!" Reo shouts, trying to keep herself above the surface, but with no avail. "HELP! I . . . I can't . . ." Her head sinks down the water, making my eyes widen in shock.

"Reo!" I cry as I run over to the edge. "Don't worry! I'll get you out of here!"

"Hurry! I think I'm gonna . . ." She sinks to the bottom again with only her hands out at first, but then sinks down again.

I immediately dive in and paddle as hard as I could to reach Reo in time. Once I see her, she's slowly floating down to the bottom, unconscious. With all my determination and strength, I swiftly swim over to my lover, grab her by the waist and pull her back up to the surface. Once out of the water, I swim as fast as I could back to the dry area with Reo on my shoulder. I set her down gently, face up and quickly shake her.

"Reo?"

No response.

"Reo, can you hear me?"

Again, no response. I quickly check her pulse. Luckily it's still beating, but it won't be for long if I don't do something. So I perform CPR on her. After doing it a few times, I plant my lips against hers and breath some air into her, hopefully to make her conscious again. When I part lips from her, Reo is still unconscious, despite my effort on trying to save her. Is she really going to die?

"Reo!" I cry as I can feel tears trying to come out. "Reo, please speak to me! Reo!"

Sure enough, her eyes slowly flutter open, letting out a few small coughs, making some of the water come out of her mouth.

"M . . . M . . . Mai . . .?" She whispers.

Despite the tears falling freely from my eyes, I'm so happy that she's alive. "Reo! Thank goodness you're okay! Thank goodness!" I immediately give her a hug while crying. "I thought . . . I was going to lose you."

I can feel Reo's arms gently wrapping around me. "Mai . . . you idiot. You saved me, that's all matters."

I can tell from her voice that it wasn't anger, but gentle and kind. "REO!" At last, I let out my sobs from Reo's words. Once again, we are still together and nothing in this world could tear us apart.

"Mai . . ." Reo whispers once we part from the hug. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Reo," I sniffle as I try to smile at her. "I love you forever."

With that, both of us share a passionate, heartwarming kiss. I feel like we're in our own little world, with just me and Reo in it, no one else.

* * *

**A/N: My goodness! 6 reviews in one month for July? That's really amazing! This totally makes my day! Thanks so much you guys! :) I never thought my story would be this likable. But hey, that's a Mai x Reo fan for ya! Haha! :D**

**And I apologize for the late update. It took a lot to write this super long chapter. And I've actually have been to a water park that has that huge bucket on top of it. I just decided to add a few things that maybe wasn't part of the park, but who knows?**

**Thanks so much again for the awesome reviews! :) You guys rock! I would mostly like to thank Avlionempire127 and Groove Armada for reviewing the last chapter. Keep on reviewing you guys. It gets me motivated to write more. Once again, you guys are the best and thanks so much for the support! ;)**

**Anyway, feel free to . . . well, you know. :p**


	7. Love is Complicated

**Chapter 7**

**Love is Complicated**

I lay in bed the next morning, feeling nauseous and weak from the incident yesterday. I turn over to notice Mai isn't by my side, meaning that she must have woke up early. I roll back to look at the ceiling for a bit while trying to regain my strength. Oh, I don't feel so good . . .

"Reo~" a cheerful voice says.

Mai peeks over my head with a smile on her face.

"What do you want?" I ask, bluntly, turning my head away to hide my blush.

"Aw, I just wanted to say good morning."

"W-well, you should do it when I'm fully awake. Besides, don't you have breakfast to make?"

"Already done." Mai holds out a tray with a plate of pancakes and juice as proof.

"Why did you bring a tray?" I ask.

"Oh, since you're too tired to walk around yet, I thought maybe I would bring the food to you for a while."

My face goes hot when she says this, so I remain looking away from her. Mai just smiles, cuts a piece of a pancake and holds it near my mouth.

"Here, say, 'Ahh'"

"I-I can eat it myself, you know."

"Oh, come on. At least, let me feed you once in a while," Mai teases.

I mumble something as I hold my mouth open for her. She feeds the pancake to me with glee. After I swallow it, I open my mouth again, signalling her to feed me more. So she does. After feeding me a few more, I slump back in my bed.

"Is it yummy?" she asks.

"Mm-hmm," I reply softly. "Thanks."

There is a few minutes of silence until Mai puts the tray aside and climbs into bed with me.

"Are you feeling alright?" she says, worriedly.

"A little. I'm still a little nauseous from yesterday."

"Do you still have the ring?"

"Mm-hmm." I show it to her as proof. Mai recovered the ring just in time before Matsuri could get her hands on it again. Fortunately, she had to leave early because her father was picking her up. So, that gave Mai a chance to get the ring and for us to get out of the water park to take me home.

"Thank goodness. Matsuri really wants you that badly, doesn't she?"

"Yes. I can't believe she was in love with me this whole time and both of us were unaware of it."

"Well, let's make sure she never falls in love with you ever again. We'll keep proving to her that we're a better couple than she thinks we are and then she'll think twice about messing with us."

I nod in agreement as I shift my head to the side. I really hope we can remain together and get Matsuri out of our lives for good.

* * *

****Mai's P.O.V****

I leave the apartment with Reo resting for a while. I still can't understand why that would happen. I remember after Reo tackled us, I was so focused on the ring being in one piece that I didn't pay attention to what's going on. Maybe Matsuri pushed her in to get even with me. Or maybe Reo just fell in there by mistake. I don't know. But, all I know is that Matsuri is trouble and I need to figure out how to get her back. Why does she always have to ruin everything? I may need to talk to Yuuna-san and Kaede-san about this situation and tell them about what happened. I'm still a little stressed about the whole Matsuri thing and it needs to end so that Reo and I can get on with our lives without someone trying to ruin it. So, I dial Yuuna-san's number and wait for an answer.

_Ring! Ring! Click!_

"Hello?" Yuuna-san says on the other line.

"Hi," I say. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thanks. And you?"

"Not so good. I in a bit of a problem right now, so can you and Kaede-san meet me at the coffee shop in a few minutes?"

"Sure, but what sort of problem?"

I hesitate before answering, "It's about Matsuri."

* * *

"What!?"

Both Yuuna-san and Kaede-san gasp in surprise. I had told them what happened from when Matsuri and I unexpectedly met and tried compete each other on spending time with Reo more to when Matsuri tried to get rid of Reo's engagement ring and how she fell into the water and I saved her.

"That seems very serious," Yuuna-san says with her eyes filled with worry.

"Is Reo-san going to be alright?" Kaede-san asks.

"She's tired," I reply. "So she's resting at the apartment for a while."

Yuuna-san gives me a sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry you had to though this, Mai-san. And I'm sorry for Reo-san as well."

"So, what are you going to do?" Kaede-san asks.

I let out a soft sigh. "I don't know. It seems that we can't keep Matsuri from separating us no matter what we do."

"Did you try using my advice?" Yuuna-san asks.

"I tried, but like I said earlier, I had no idea Matsuri would be here as well."

"Hmm . . . then we've got a big problem."

"That's not good," Kaede-san says. "How will you ever spend your time with Reo-san now if Matsuri-san is just going to pop up out of nowhere and try to take her away from you?"

"That's just what we're trying to figure out," I say sadly. "So far, we've got nothing."

All of us sigh in disappointment. This is going to take a while before we actually figure out what to do so that Reo and I can remain together. We stay silent for at least a minute until Yuuna-san speaks up.

"I'm afraid that you just have to do your best on spending as much time with Reo-san as possible," she says, sadly. "And if Matsuri-san does show up, you just keep doing what you're doing to try to separate her from Reo-san."

"You can do this, Mai-san," Kaede-san encourages me. "Don't let her stop you from keeping your relationship close."

I finally smile at them. I can always count on them for advice whenever I needed it. "Thanks, you guys. I'm feeling a little better now."

"That's good," Kaede-san says.

"We wish you both luck," Yuuna-san says, smiling back.

"Thanks."

* * *

After having a fun time with Yuuna-san and Kaede-san, all of us part ways and I'm on my way back to the apartment to see how Reo is doing. Their advice helped me realize that Matsuri can't stop me from spending more time with Reo and I need to be strong. No more backing down. I have to not only do this for Reo, but for myself as well. Besides, Matsuri may not know what it means to be good girlfriends anyway.

When I'm halfway to the apartment, I stop in my tracks and my eyes widen at a familiar long silver haired girl walking by. She also stops and glares at me, probably recognizing me right away.

"You again?" she hisses.

I let out a heavy sigh. Does she have to show up everywhere I go? "Look, I don't have time to talk with you. I have to see if Reo is okay."

"Oh, it will just be a minute," she says, flipping her hair.

I clench my fists in anger. "What do you want?"

"I only want one thing: Reo-sama." She points her index finger at me. "I already have some plans with her tomorrow afternoon, so you can't have her this time."

"Well, consider it canceled. Because you're never going to have my Reo."

"Oh, yes I will. Face it, Mai-sama. You can't stop me from being with the one I desire. I told you: Reo-sama will and forever be mine, no matter what you do."

I put my hands on my hips as I glare at her. "I beg to differ. You don't even know her address."

A smirk suddenly comes on her face. "Do I?" She holds out her phone and shows me a map where Reo's apartment is. "I already have it."

My eyes widen in shock. "Wh-What? How!? I didn't think you'd-"

"One of my friends told me her address," Matsuri says. "She actually lives in the same apartment as her, so it gave me a perfect chance to snatch Reo away from you once you're gone."

I can't believe it. I didn't think she would even know Reo's address in the first place and thought Reo would be safe. But now . . . Reo is in danger!

"I tried to warn you, Mai-sama," she says. "But you never listen."

"W-well, even if you know her address, you still can't have her!" I shout. "I live in her room now, so it's impossible to take her away from me now!"

"Oh, dear me. I'm so scared. You can't stay in the apartment forever, you know. Somehow, you have to come out, so staying in there would be lame." She turns her back to me with her hair flowing gracefully with her. "Now then, if you don't mind, I'm making plans for our wonderful date tomorrow afternoon. You're a worthy opponent, Mai-sama. But now, I'm doing things _my _way. This is a start of a competition." She starts to walk a few steps forward when she stops again. "Oh, and one more thing: you must not let Reo-sama know any of this, like me knowing her address. This is just a surprise. You'd better think about what you're doing, Mai-sama. Because I always win. Always." With that, she finally walks off.

I, however, grit my teeth while continuing to clench my fists in anger. Worthy opponent, huh? Well, if she wants competition, she's got one. But . . . what is she going to do once she has Reo? Will she try to rape her again? Will she make out with her? So many questions form in my head that I just couldn't process all of it. Putting my hand on my head, I slowly make my way back to the apartment.

* * *

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! You guys rock my world! I promise, I'll finish the story soon. Don't worry! **

**I thought about not putting Matsuri in there, but since you all wanted more chaos between her and Mai, I thought I'd put her in there for you guys. :) And also, to be honest, this might be a boring chapter, to me at least. Anyways, I apologize again for the late update. I had sort of a writer's block for a while, and then I typed this, like in 2 days. **

**Lastly, the story's going to get even better in later chapters because I've got a plan up my sleeve. *evil grin* heh, heh, heh. So, stay tuned, you guys!**

**Until then, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review. ;)**


	8. Truths and Consequences

**Chapter 8**

**Truths and Consequences**

**A/N: Hey, you guys. So, here's the start of my plan for this story. And I think you Mai x Reo fans are going to like it. You'll see what I mean once you read it. And I apologize again for the late update. Got so much going on in the house because we have to unpack everything from the basement because it flooded a few months ago. So, I'll probably post a chapter like once or twice a week, depending on what my time is. Anyways, enjoy the story! ;)**

I have to make up my mind. Should I let Reo be with Matsuri this afternoon or not? I know right away that it's a definite "no". Besides, she's not the boss of me and I can do whatever I want. She has no right to interfere anyway. I look over to my beloved, who is sleeping soundly next to me. I really wanted to tease her right then and there, but somehow, I'm not really in the mood today. At least, until I get Matsuri out of my head. So I get up and immediately head over to the kitchen to make some breakfast.

After about 10 minutes, as I'm sizzling up some bacon, I hear cute moans from Reo from her bedroom, meaning she must have woken up from the sweet smell of breakfast.

"Mm . . . Mai?"

I slightly turn my head to notice Reo coming into the room. "Oh, good morning, Reo." I turn off the stove once the bacon is done and move on to the hash browns.

"Are you alright? You don't seem like yourself today," she says, her eyes showing concern for me.

"I'm fine," I reply while trying to smile at her as reassurance. But really, I'm in complete turmoil. Why do things have to be this way? "Come, breakfast is almost ready. Can you get the plates out please?"

Reo does as I told her and both of us set up the table for breakfast. Once that's done, we serve ourselves the bacon, eggs, and hash browns and sit at the table across from each other. Even though I made a really good breakfast, I somehow wasn't in the mood for breakfast, either. As I keep picking at the food, I'm trying to think of a way to spend time with Reo before Matsuri comes over. Then, there's only one thing on my mind.

"Reo?"

"Yes?" She looks up from her food and at me.

Do you mind if we . . . go for a walk after this?"

"No, not at all. Why?"

"I just . . . wanted to walk with you since the last couple days was intense." It wasn't particularly a lie, but really, I just need some time to clear my head and release the stress.

Reo nods again as she finishes up breakfast and immediately puts it in the sink. I slowly finish up mine 5 minutes after her and wash the dishes.

* * *

We exit the apartment to start our morning walk. We walk side by side, holding hands as none of us are saying a word. REo looks up at me to ask me what's wrong, but I just keep a straight face, making her unable to ask her question. I' still very stressed about Matsuri always coming between us and never giving us a break. Will she ever leave us alone?

"M-Mai?"

The sound of her voice stops me and I turn to notice Reo pulling on my shirt while nervously looking down at the ground, quietly trembling.

"What's wrong, Reo?" I ask.

"W=well, you've been acting kind of strange since early this morning and I really wanted to ask you, but you seemed so serious. Can you please tell me what's going on?"

_Should I be honest with her?_ I ask myself. Even so, we're lovers, so we're supposed to tell each other everything. But . . . according to what Matsuri had said, I can't let her know that she knows her address. I lean down to her level and try to smile at her.

"Listen," I say. "I'm just in a lot of stress because of Matsuri. She can't come between us anymore and this has got to stop. When it does happen, the two of us can remain together, right?"

"R-right."

I wrap my arms around her and tip her chin to face me. "You're the one I love, Reo. No one, not even Matsuri, can take that away from me. I'm sure you feel the same way."

Reo just nods as she wraps her arms around me while turning her head away, hiding her blush. "W-well, of course I feel the same way, idiot. So, don't worry about ti. I-I'm always going to be by your side. Always."

I smile at her. "I'm glad. Glad to know that you still love me." I hug her back. "Hey, why don't we take a stroll in the mall today?"

"What are we going to do there?"

"Oh, we're just going to have a little fun together." I reply. "Just you and me."

Reo brightens and quickly nods. With that, both of us head straight to the mall.

* * *

So far, the trip to the mall is fantastic. We helped each other pick out new summer clothing, buy some candy for Reo to eat and buy some books for my brother and sister to read. Once that's done, we decide to go exploring down the huge mall, observing the awesome stores and restaurants around us, including some new ones that are going to open in a couple of months. After about 15 minutes of walking, we sit by a bench near a fountain, enjoying the view of the crowded mall. I look over to Reo, who is lightly kicking her feet up and down while looking down at the floor. She's so adorable when she's like that~

She then looks up at me and frowns. "What?"

"Oh, just seeing how cute you look when you're kicking your feet like that," I tease.

This causes her to flush bright red, and turn away to hide it. "W-what are you saying? I'm just . . . thinking, that's all."

"What are you thinking about, Reo? I bet it's me, isn't it?"

She blushes harder. "M-maybe . . ."

I can't help but lean in closer to her and whisper in her ear, "Just spill it out, Reo. You're happy that your'e spending time with me, don't you?"

"Okay! Okay, you don't have to be so pushy!" she shouts as she tries to push me away. "Geez! Don't you know we're in the mall!?"

"Hehe! I can't help it! You're just so cute~!"

"Ugh . . ."

Wow! I'm actually feeling better than I had been earlier. Teasing and having fun with Reo must have cheered me up somehow! With that in mind, I quickly give Reo a hug just for the heck of it.

"Mai! What did I tell you!?"

"I'm sorry, but like I said, I can't help myself. I just love hugging you."

"Mai, you idiot . . ."

Just then, both of us hear a soft, gentle voice coming from in front of us. "Hello, Mai-san. Reo-san."

I look up to see Yuuna-san standing in front of us with a beautiful smile on her face with Nanami-san by her side.

"Hello, you two," I greet them as I wave. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just exploring the mall with Nanami when I noticed you two having fun near the fountain. So I decided to come by to say hi."

"What are you two doing?" Nanami-san asks.

"We're just spending as much time together as we possibly can," I reply. "Just to get Matsuri out of my mind."

"Matsuri-san?" Apparently, Nanami hasn't heard of that girl yet.

"She's the girl that's competing with Mai-san," Yuuna-san explains. "She was in love with her since second year and things aren't going well between Mai-san and Matsuri-san."

"Oh, that's terrible," Nanami-san says, having a worried expression in her eyes.

"Don't worry," i assure her. "I'm making sure Matsuri doesn't get to Reo as long as I'm with her."

Nanami smiles. "That's good." She then turns to her lover. "Well, shall we go, Onee-sama?"

"Yes," Yuuna-san replies as she turns back to me. "I'll see you later, Mai-san."

"Bye."

"Bye, Reo-san."

"Um . . . bye." Reo says as she lazily waves at them.

When they leave, I turn to my lover as I stand up. "Well then, shall we go home now?"

"I-I guess."

"Good, then let''s go."

Both of us get up and immediately exit the mall. We walk hand in hand on the way home, with me hoping that Matsuri doesn't unexpectedly show up at her apartment. I look down at Reo, who is slightly showing concern for me when she notices my troubled expression.

"Are you alright?" she asks, frowning.

"Yes, I'm fine! Don't worry about it!"

She then eyes me suspiciously. "Something's fishy about it and it's doesn't look good."

Oh, why does it have to be so complicated!? It's only a surprise, no big deal. I keep on smiling at her as we are halfway to the apartment.

"Nothing's wrong, Reo. Maybe you're imagining things."

"Hmmm . . . alright." She seems as though she still doesn't believe me, but decides to let it go for now. Oh, boy. This looks like trouble is coming towards me right now.

When we finally arrive at the apartment, Reo takes out her keys, unlocks the door and opens it. But right when we enter the room, someone familiar is standing by the entrance, with her smile greeting us.

"Good morning, you two."

Reo's eyes widen at the sight of Matsuri in front of her. "You . . . here!? How did you know where I live!?"

The long, silver haired girl flips her hair. "Let's just say that I wanted to surprise you . . . with Mai-sama's help, of course."

"Mai!?" She swiftly turns to me, completely confused about what's going on. "Wh-what the _fudge_ is going on!?"

"R-Reo," I try to say while putting my hands up in defense. "I can explain."

"Oh, don't bother," Matsuri says. "Besides, you two seem to be a little down. So sad having to meet you two like this. Come, let's have some tea, so we can talk this over."

Reo glares at me as we make our way to the kitchen. I have a bad feeling that this isn't gonna go well once we have our "talk".

* * *

When the tea is ready, I serve them on a tray while Matsuri and Reo sit on the couch. I immediately sit between them to keep their distance from each other and pour them some tea. None of us say a word as Reo and I look down at the ground. I have a really bad feeling about this when it comes to Matsuri being around.

"H-hey, Reo," I start.

"Mai," my lover says, turning towards me, shooting a glare at me. And it wasn't an annoyed glare either. "Why didn't you tell me Matsuri was coming here this afternoon?"

"W-well, you see . . ."

"I just wanted it to be a surprise," Maturi interrupts with a smile on her face.

"You do?"

"Mm-hmm. Besides, Mai-sama was the one who gave me the address."

I gasp. "No! That's a lie!"

"Like you telling me that Matsuri wouldn't find out this address or you saying that you would always protect me?" She shakes her head in disgust. "I don't know what to believe anymore."

"Reo, I can explain all this."

"Don't bother! I don't want to hear all of your silly little lies!"

"Those aren't lies! You've got to believe me! Matsuri is the one who's lying!" How can I get Reo to believe that Matsuri had set this up to tear us apart?

Reo looks over to Matsuri, who is having a grin on her face.

"Don't listen to her, Reo-sama," she says. "Remember, she was the one who abandoned you two years ago without telling you a thing. That left you worried sick about her and you didn't want that to happen, didn't you? Lovers tell each other everything, right?"

"Reo, listen to me! It wasn't that I abandoned you! My little brother was sick, remember!" I can't believe it has come to this. Matsuri had to tell me to keep it a secret just so that Reo could go against me about not telling her about it. I'm just so confused right now.

Reo doesn't say anything as she turns away again.

"Oh, I think you're confusing poor little Reo-sama," Matsuri says sarcastically. "I think we should let her decide."

I look at her desperately, pleading Reo to believe me. "Reo, you've got to believe me. Matsuri is the one at fault here!"

Reo finally opens her mouth. "I told you: I don't know what to believe any more. You promised that you'd always protect me from Matsuri and you would always be by my side. But were those things you said all a lie!?"

"No! Believe me, those are all true! Except maybe that I didn't know that Matsuri knew that address until now!"

"Shut up!" She immediately stands up and pushes me towards the entrance. "I don't want you in this room ever again."

"W-what?"

"I SAID GET OUT!" With that, she shoves me out the door and slams it shut.

I just stand there, completely flustered about what just happened here. Matsuri had told me to keep this a secret from Reo, so that she could surprise her and then have her turn against me? It's very unusual for Reo to do that, but yelling at me like that makes me think I should let her be for a while. Besides, while she's taking a break from me, maybe she'll realize about Matsuri's wrongdoing.

* * *

****Reo's P.O.V****

I stare at the door that I slammed at Mai's face with. I'm very angry and confused about what's going on. Why didn't Mai tell me about Matsuri coming over? What did she want with me? So many questions form in my head that I can't pick on to ask myself. With instinct, I begin to walk towards the door when I feel a hand grab mine and I look up to notice the silver haired girl looking down at me, smiling.

"Oh, where are you going, Reo-sama?"

"I'm going to find and talk to Mai. I owe her an apology."

Matsuri frowns as she pulls me back and closes the door. "I don't think so. You yelled at her, which means that she'll probably won't talk to you for a while. For now, spend time with me. It will be like taking a break from each other, right?"

"R-right."

"Excellent!" She happily leads me to the couch and both of us sit on it. As she happily plays with my blonde hair and hugging me, I think back on my behavior towards Mai, and how Matsuri knew my address. This is all so confusing I can't get my head straight. I need some answers before I confront Mai about this.

"Matsuri," I say, making her stop to look at me. "What really happened? How did you really know my address?"

She puts her hand on her hip while putting on a smile. "Do you really want to know?"

"Yes!"

"Well, just between you and me, one of my friends lives in the same apartment as you. I just found out a couple days ago, so I asked her what room you live in and it was a piece of cake. I really wanted to come visit you someday, so I told Mai-sama to keep it a surprise and then work it out from there. I had no idea a fight would occur once that was done, but that was the best part I had seen!" She begins laughing. "Oh, that was great! I never really expected you to yell at her like that, but that was incredible!"

My eyes widen at her story. "You mean . . . you made me look like a complete idiot yelling at Mai like that!? How could you!?"

Matsuri just shrugs. "Hey, I did it on purpose. You needed a break from each other anyway, right?"

I can feel my eyes shaking as I look down at the ground. So, all this time, Matsuri got the address and room number from one of her friends and set me and Mai up to get into an argument so that I would kick her out? Now I definitely need to talk to her!

"I have to talk to Mai!" I start to rush out of the couch when I feel a hand grab my arm and pull me back on the couch, making me turn to Matsuri, frowning at me.

"Didn't I tell you: Mai wouldn't be talking to you for a while since you yelled at her," she says. "So, you'll have to stay with me."

I glare at her. "Why would I stay with a freak like you? You should be the one kicked out, not Mai!"

"Is Mai-sama really that important to you?"

"Heck, yes! Why wouldn't she be!? She's the most important person in the world!"

"Well, you are the most important person to me," Matsuri says. "I've been in love with you since second year, but Mai-sama never gave me a chance. She was too busy being all lovey-dovey with you and spending time with you countless times. And when I heard about your engagement, it made it three times worse, so I wanted to break you two up!"

I turn away in disgust. "Well, you failed too many times. No matter what you do, you'll never break us up!"

This doesn't surprise her the slightest as I slowly turn my head to notice her sly grin.

"You're right," she says. "I not gonna break you two up. _You _are."

* * *

**A/N: Uh-oh! This could be trouble! How will Reo handle this? Stay tuned to find out!**

**Thank you so much again for the reviews! You guys are amazing! I'm glad you all like this story so far! :D I promise it'll get better later on in the story. Keep on reviewing, you guys. You are awesome reviewers! Can't wait to get more!**

**As always, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and well, you already know. **


	9. Shattered

**Chapter 9**

**Shattered**

**A/N: Hello again! Thanks again for the reviews and so sorry for the super late update. I was on vacation for two weeks and couldn't really think of anything to write for this chapter. And . . . I just checked some reviews and one of you asked me to write some H-scenes like they do in the games. To answer your question: no. I'm sorry, but to be honest, I never pay attention to the description nor have the ability to write that kind of stuff. It's also kind of disturbing, so my Sono Hana stories will have no sex scenes in them. Well, except in this chapter, but it's only mentioned, not written. You'll see what I mean once you read it. In the meantime, please continue to enjoy the story! ;)**

_"You're right. I'm not breaking you guys up._You _are."_

My eyes widen at what I just heard._"_Y-you can't be serious . . . right?"

Matsuri frowns. "I am _dead _serious. If I'm unable to break you two up on my own, then it's time for the last resort: for you to do it yourself."

"B-but, why me? I can't break up with Mai!"

"You were the one who confessed to her in the first place, yes? In front of the entrance at St. Michael's. And then, Mai-sama proposed to you at the exact same spot. So now, you'll need to dump her at the exact same place, which is an easy location, I might say."

I roughly shake my head. "No! You have no right to force me to break up with Mai! I refuse to do what you say! So, screw that!" I turn away as I cross my arms. She can't tell me what to do. I'm an adult, so she's not the boss of me.

"Oh?" She didn't seem surprised at my attitude towards her and again I slightly turn my head towards her. "You refuse, huh? You have quite an attitude. But there's just one problem: if you refuse, I have no choice but to show everyone these." She digs something in her purse and pulls out at least 10 photos.

"W-what are those?" I ask, feeling my body trembling.

"Some pictures I took of you and Mai-sama," she says as she hands them to me. "It was when you two had your little 'love making' session, or should I say, you two having sex!"

My eyes widen as I look at every photo of me and Mai doing lewd stuff to each other, even at the infirmary. Each one of them has Mai doing all the work while I look like I'm in pain, but in a good way, because . . . it was a good feeling.

"Where'd you get these? Who took them?"

"I did. I thought maybe I could take these pictures for a good purpose and then use them at the right moment."

I raise an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

"I will consider Mai-sama a pedophile if you refuse to break up with her. That way, everyone will find out about her trying to molest you and then she'll be thrown in jail. What do you say about that?"

I just sit there, photos in hand, while still trembling. I had no idea that she took those pictures without us noticing, mostly because we were too busy doing those stuff. But . . . why would she take them if it was from two years ago? That's not important right now because Mai could be in serious danger if Matsuri told the police about her and showed these photos as evidence.

"I . . . I'll do it," I say, quietly.

"I can't hear you~" Matsuri teases.

"I said I'll do it! There, you happy?"

Matsuri nods as she takes the photos and puts them back in her bag. "I knew you'd see it my way."

"B-but still, it's not right for me to break up with her! I just can't do it!"

Matsuri holds up the photos again with a sly look on her face, as if to say "What did I tell you?"

I clench my fists. "Do I have to?"

"You have to. And you _will _break up with Mai-sama. Or else these photos go to the police." She waves the photos in the air with glee.

"F-fine," I mutter. "I'll do it, if it's for Mai's sake."

"Excellent. Then it's settled." She stands up and holds out her hand. "Now then, shall we spend the rest of our afternoon together?"

I slowly take her hand while looking away. "I-I guess."

* * *

**Mai's P.O.V**

I pace around the streets, trying to wrap my head around what Matsuri is doing to us. What she's doing is very cruel and we have to somehow find a way to stop her from interfering before she really gets her hands on Reo. Ugh, why does she have to ruin our lives in the first place!? I continue to walk aimlessly down the streets until I catch Yuuna-san standing by a bakery, looking deep in thought. She seems like she's trying to pick out something for someone, probably for Nanami-san or something. I could use someone to talk to, so with that in mind, I approach her with a smile.

"Yuuna-san," I call as I wave to her.

The blonde haired girl looks up and smiles at me. "Oh, hi, Mai-san. What's up?"

"Ah, some things are on my mind right now," I reply, rubbing the back of my head. "What about you?"

"I was just picking out some strawberry cake for Nanami," Yuuna-san replies. "We were sort of craving for desert after dinner tonight, but we didn't have any, so I'm going to buy some now."

"I see." I look down at the ground with a pained look in my eyes. I wish there was some way to make it up to Reo.

When Yuuna-san picks up the cake, she notices my troubled expression. "Is everything alright, Mai-san?"

I shake my head.

"What's wrong? Did Matsuri-san do something to you guys again?"

I nod again and tell her everything that happened as we sit down at a table to discuss it. Yuuna-san listens to every word I said and nods in understanding. Once I'm finished with my story, it was her turn to have a pained expression.

"I can't believe Matsuri-san would do that," Yuuna-san says. "For all I know, she could be doing something to Reo-san right now since she made Reo-san kick you out."

I sigh. "Yes. This is very bad and I don't know how to handle something like this."

Yuuna-san puts her finger on her chin as she tries to think of something. "Hmm . . . I think that you should just make up with Reo and forget this ever happened, okay? Thinking about Matsuri-san all the time isn't very healthy for you guys and your relationship. It will only stress you out even more and then you won't be able to spend time together as much. You don't want that, do you?"

"No." Yuuna-san's got a point there. My mind is so full of Matsuri that I didn't think of anything to spend my time with Reo.

"Then, both of you should figure out how to keep your relationship closer without having to think about Matsuri-san at all. Then, maybe your bond will remain close."

I smile at her. "Thanks, Yuuna-san. I can always count on you."

The gentle blonde smiles back. "If you or Reo-san ever need anything, I'm only a call away. Besides, I want you two to have a happy life together and get married, right?"

I nod. "Yes. That's exactly what we want."

"I once again wish you both luck." With that, Yuuna-san waves good-bye to me and leaves the bakery.

I, however, remain sitting at the table, thinking about what to do with Reo for tomorrow. I have to take her someplace that both of us will enjoy and probably have fun eating at a restaurant. Okay, Mai! I know what to do now! I shall take Reo out for a lovely date tomorrow and show that Matsuri witch who's boss!

* * *

**Reo's P.O.V**

For the rest of the afternoon, Matsuri and I spend our fun time together, or at least Matsuri was the one who had fun. We finished going to the movies, and now we are grabbing a smoothie at some small shop. We also did some shopping at the mall, like buying several clothing and looking at cute toys at the toy store for me to buy. All in all, I was miserable. Being with Matsuri is not the same as being with Mai. I really wish she were here instead of Matsuri.

The silver haired girl drinks her strawberry smoothie. "Mmm! That's super sweet and yummy! How's yours, Reo-sama?"

"It's okay," I mutter as I play around with the straw and stir the smoothie around.

"You hardly touched your smoothie. Is something the matter?"

I frown at her. "I still can't believe you would even do this to us. We are meant to be together."

"Well, you and I are supposed to be meant to be," Matsuri counters. "Mai-sama is just a dumb witch who only babies you for simple stuff."

"She's not always like that!" I yell at her, causing some people to stare at us, but I could careless about that. "She and I love each other, no matter how childish and needy I am to her! I'm her girlfriend and soon-to-be wife to her!"

Matsuri just flips her long hair. "Whatever. If you don't do what I ask, I'll show these to the cops and then you'll never see your lover ever again." She holds up the photos again, just to make me feel very guilty.

"Fine," I mutter as I take a small sip of my smoothie.

"Excellent." Matsuri puts the photos back in her pocket and smiles. "And just to go easy on you: before you break up with her, I want you to spend your last day with Mai-sama tomorrow, just because I feel it's necessary to make one last memory before you two are over for good. Then, at exactly sunset, take Mai-sama to the spot where you first confessed to her and break up with her. If you refuse, these photos go to the police."

I bite my lip as I take in everything that's being said. So, I have to make my last day with Mai very meaningful, so that I won't forget it for as long as I live. This might be hard to think about though since there's so many other things that we could have done together as a couple. I slowly nod to Matsuri, saying that I will do as she wishes.

"Wonderful," the silver-haired girl says, smiling. "Well, before we part here today, I would just like to wish you both luck: for the break up tomorrow and our start of our relationship."

"Yes, sure," I mutter again. "Whatever." I don't even want to hear another word from that witch if it's the last thing I do. All I need is for her to get out of our lives and let Mai and I be in peace!

It isn't long before Matsuri finishes her smoothie and I just throw away mine, just because I don't feel like drinking mine. From then on, we walk back towards my apartment, holding hands for the first time. I look up at the silver-haired girl and she smiles at me with glee. I'm guessing that she's very excited that she's finally holding hands with me, only she was the one who insisted on it and I had no choice but to accept her offer. It only takes about 15 minutes to get to my apartment and once we enter my room, I'm about to walk in when Matsuri speaks up.

"Remember, Reo-sama," she says. "Spend your last day with Mai-sama, break up with her and call me when you do. I have other plans in mind."

I just nod, not even wanting to speak with her. With that, I close the door and just slump on my bed. What do I do? Mai is very important to me and if I break up with her, things would not only be depressing, but also trouble. If I refuse Matsuri's demand, she's going to show the photos to the police, accusing Mai of being a pedophile and molesting me for her own desires. I could feel tears trying to force their way out as I think about what to do on my last day with Mai.

There's a sudden knock on the door.

"Go away!" I yell as I roll over on my belly, burying my face with a pillow.

"Reo," a familiar voice says. "It's me, Mai. May I come in?"

Ah! Mai! She's here! "Y-yes!" She proceeds to open the door and the first thing I do is jump into her arms, burying my face in her chest.

"R-Reo?" Mai says, slightly surprised at this action. "Is there something the matter?"

"I love you, Mai," I whisper while trying not to cry in front of her. "I love you so much."

"I-I love you, too, Reo," Mai says while stroking my hair gently, smiling. "Anyway, I came here to tell you great news. I want to make it up to you by going on a wonderful date tomorrow. You can have anything you want, Reo, even if it's a lot of candy or other junk food, it's all yours. We're gonna have a fun time together tomorrow, Reo. Sound good?"

"Y-yes," I mutter. "Um . . . I want to take you somewhere, too . . . after we do all that."

"Oh? Where to?"

"I-it's a surprise."

Mai raises an eyebrow for a moment before she giggles. "Ah, Reo. Now you're keeping secrets from me. Are you getting even with me for having me keeping playful secrets from you?"

Her teasing doesn't set me off at all, for it's only Matsuri is in my head right now. "Um . . . y-yes. That's for payback. Anyway, let's do it."

"Wait, seriously? You're willing?"

I nod. "Might as well make the best of it." Even for my last day with her.

"Oh, Reo~! Thank you!" She tackles me into a hug, making us tumble to the bed. "I love you!"

I just nod my head. Oh, Mai. I wish you could understand what I'm going through here.

* * *

"Over here, Reo!" Mai beckons me to the mall we're going to the next morning.

I slowly drag my feet along to where Mai is and start our final day together. First, we do some clothes shopping. Mai picks out some clothes that I don't even care about any more and she picks out hers that she enjoys. We then enter a candy store where I bough some candy bars, ice cream and even pocky sticks. I only bought a few because I know we're going to be full of stuff once we're done with the place. We then head out to a smoothie store to grab ourselves a smoothie as desert after going to a yummy restaurant for lunch and sit near the fountain in the middle of the mall. Mai happily drinks her smoothie and looks over to me.

"Are you having fun, Reo?" she asks, happily.

"Yes, I sure am," I reply, trying to smile at her. _Only for my last day with you,_ I think.

"Oh, good! Because next, we're going to the park together and have fun! And then after that, we'll finish our day by watching the sunset."

"Um . . . Mai . . . "

"Oh, yeah. You said that you were going to take me somewhere, too. I'm sorry. We'll just finish it off by doing that instead."

I nod my head as tears sting my eyes. I'm not very happy about our finishing day at all. Once I do it, it will be all over.

After we finish our smoothie, both of us finish exploring the mall and chat about random stuff. I, however, just rarely spoke since I know that the hour I'm about to break up with the one I love is getting closer and closer. And it's right at the spot where I confessed to her, which is 10 times worse! Each time Mai would ask me if something is wrong, I just play it cool and say everything is alright and I'm having a great time, even thought I'm actually not.

We finally arrive at the park, where it's mostly crowded with people around here. There were children playing on the playground with the adults supervising them, other adults talking and the elderly feeding the birds.

"Come on, Reo!" Mai encourages. "Over here!" She happily runs over to a huge tree while I slowly follow.

"What are we doing now?" I ask.

"Why, we're having fun! I mean, it is still summer, right?"

"I-I guess." I dont care anymore. You have no idea what you're gonna get once we finish off this "date".

Mai smirks at me and lightly taps me on the shoulder. "Tag, you're it!"

I just look up and stare at her for a bit.

"What's the matter, Reo?" She teases as she stops to turn around. "Are you too slow and small to even chase me?"

My eyes twitch at her words. That's the one and only thing that sets me off whenever someone makes fun of my height. I clench my fists in anger as my lover continues laughing.

"Oh, Reo!" Mai says, waving her hand at me. "Come on, little kid! Is it that hard to chase down a big girl like me?"

Finally, my inner volcano erupts. "GRRRAAAAAAHHHHH! I'M NOT SOME LITTLE KID!"

Mai just laughs as I finally take off after her, first around the tree, the play ground and pretty much near the bench. While I stop to catch my breath, Mai is still running and not even tired yet! Curse her and her athletic abilities!

"Give up?" Mai teases. "Little kid?"

I growl at her. "You're just lucky I got tired easily or else I would've tRon you to pieces with my bare hands!"

"Yes, yes," Mai says, waving her hand disissively. She walks over to the bench. "Here, why don't the both of us sit and rest for a bit?"

"S-sure." With that in mind, I drag myself to the bench and sit next to my lover. All that running is making me very tired and sleepy. So I rest my head on Mai's shoulder.

"Your hair is tickling my face," she giggles.

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

"No. Just that I like it when you do this. This is a great feeling." She closes her eyes while continuing to smile. "Ah, I can still remember the first time when we first met: how small and cute you were, how warm your fluffy hair is and that cute voice of yours. Man, that was really something when I mistook you for a first year back in St. Michael's. But nevertheless, after we became a couple, I didn't care how small you were. As long as I still love you, that's all that counts."

I suddenly look up at her. "Y-you mean that?"

Mai nods. "Yes. I love you, Reo. And I'm glad that we're finally getting married."

Tears sting my eyes as she said this. _Mai, I wish I could say the same thing, but . . . I don't think we're gonna do this as promised soon, just for your protection, _I think to myself.

My head remains on her shoulder as I feel sleep taking over and then, I can only see darkness around me, something I might never come out of.

* * *

"Reo . . . Reo," Mai says as she gently shakes me awake. "It's already 5:00 in the afternoon. Are you planning on sleeping the whole time?"

I slowly sit up as I realize that our time has nearly come. I turn to her with a pained look in my eyes, which confuses her.

"Reo? What's the matter?"

"Follow me, Mai. I promised I'd take you somewhere to finish off our date, so now's the time."

"Oh . . . okay." She just shrugs, as if she has no idea what's going on, but decides to go with it for now.

She follows me to the path where St. Michael's is. My eyes get more and more watery by the minute as I take in my final minutes with her in my memory the best I could. I look back to notice her looking around, probably not having the slightest idea where we are.

"Um . . . just exactly where are we going?" She asks.

"Just keep following me," I simply say.

Mai slowly nods and does what I ask. We keep walking along the path until I see the school building, with a row of trees standing along side it. Mai stops and notices the school building as well.

"Reo," she says. "This is the spot where you first confessed to me and then I proposed to you soon after. But . . . why are we here again? Why did you take me to this place?"

I slowly turn around, not wanting to look her in the eye as I can feel tears staring to force their way out. Mai gives me a stern look as she puts her hands on her hips.

"Reo, I don't understand. Why bring me to such a place to finish off our date?"

_Oh, Mai. I wish I could tell you everything._ I swallow hard and look up at her. "Mai . . . there's something I have to tell you."

She raises an eyebrow. "Okay . . ."

"I know we had a lot of fun, doing our date and all . . . but, now I think we should . . . I mean . . . I think this is for the best."

"What?" Mai looks at me in confusion and worry.

"I don't want to see you anymore . . ." I swallow hard again to keep myself from sobbing in front of her.

"What are you talking about?"

"I don't know." Small tears are starting to drop down my face. "You've been . . . babying my for the past couple years, you were never there for me when I needed you that one time on our last final days of school . . ." I wipe one of the tears away. "I can't do this . . . We're breaking up!" It took all of my strength just to say it.

Mai's eyes widen as i said it. "W-what did you say?"

"Didn't you hear me? Mai, it's over. We're breaking up!"

It is Mai's turn to start crying. "Oh, Reo, please! Please don't say that! I know I've been taking care of you more than I intend to, but look at you! You're learning to walking on your own, right!?"

I just turn away, not wanting to take much more of this. _I'm so sorry, Mai. But . . . it's just to protect you._

She wipes some of the tears that were coming out and quickly takes my hands in her own. "We love each other, Reo! I love you! I'm your girlfriend! Why would you do this to me!?"

I say nothing as I keep on not looking at her in the eye. _It's only because I want to protect you. _Mai then lifts up my hand to her level, showing me the ring she had put on me._  
_

"You see this Reo? I was the one who gave you this, as a symbol for us getting married soon! So, why, Reo!? Why!?" She is on the verge of crying since a bunch of tears are already spilling out.

All I could do is gently pull away. "Mai . . . I'm sorry. But . . . it's time for us to move on. We . . . aren't meant to be after all."

My lover gasps as she takes notice of me taking off my engagement ring and gently take her hand. "Thank you for being my girlfriend and I'm sure our memories will remain in our hearts."

"Reo, don't . . ."

I just gently place the ring on her hand, turn and run off with tears finally falling.

"REO!"

I don't even bother looking back nor hear her as leave the one I love behind me.

* * *

**A/N: Well, here's another super long chapter for you guys. Yes, the break up was sort of taken from _Spider-Man 3_, but I decided to change things around for a bit. **

**Again, I'm so sorry for the late update. I was on summer vacation for two weeks and then I had to help out my family. But don't worry! I finally posted this chapter just for you guys! I know you were expecting an update, so I finally did it. Oh, and many of you are wondering what Matsuri would do now that Mai and Reo broke up. Stay tuned next chapter to find out!**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	10. Distance

**Chapter 10**

**Distance**

"And so that's why Sara ended up playing a rabbit in the photo shoot," Kaede-san says, looking very ashamed.

"Oh, my," Yuuna-san giggles. "She really wanted that bear costume, doesn't she?"

"It's more like she's trying for the cat costume. She really wanted that part."

All of us laugh as we sip on our drinks at the coffee shop early Friday morning. Kaede-san wanted us to get together since she has something important to tell us and ask us our opinion on Sara-san's photo shoot that was located near a kid's pre-school. Apparently, it was just a fun advertisement for little kids to look at. And she's the next cover girl on a magazine, so the kids will be all over that picture if they wanted to. The reason why Sara-san got the rabbit part is because no one else wanted it and decided to go for the more cool parts. Even so, Sara-san had to pose while chewing on a carrot stick. Now, I don't know if she's really fond of rabbits or not, but it seemed like she did not enjoy it.

"How is Sara-san right now?" I ask.

"Not good," Kaede-san sighs. "She's still pretty angry at the director for giving her the part."

"Hey!" Yuuna-san chimes in. "I bet Nanami will look adorable in that bunny costume! Oh, how cute that would be!" She looks up dreamily as she clasps her hands together.

"Oh, boy," I mutter. "She's off to her own world again."

"You said it," Kaede-san says.

After about a couple of seconds, she calms down and takes a sip of her drink. "I'm sorry. I got a little carried away."

"No, it's okay," I say. "In fact, I think Nanami-san will look good in a rabbit costume."

"Well, why don't we ask her to play that role then?" Kaede-san jokes, causing us to laugh again.

"Oh, I should really do that sometime," Yuuna-san says. "I can't wait to see how Nanami would react when I tell her. Hehe!"

"Yuuna-san," I say, raising an eyebrow while smiling nervously. I can tell from her expression that she's really desperate and things aren't gonna go well once Nanami-san finds out what Yuuna-san's about to do to her.

We are all silent as we sip on our drinks once more and continued talking. Yuuna-san had some great news to tell us. She and Nanami-san are going to the planetarium this weekend and then go for a nice boat ride. I smile at her for her news. Since she and Nanami-san are now living together at her apartment, they have so many great things they want to spend together. Her mentioning that makes me feel down again. Since our break up about 2 days ago, I've been depressed over it for a long time. Why would Reo do that to me when all I did was take her on a lovely date? I didn't do anything that would make her do that.

As I sigh while resting my head on my hand, Yuuna-san takes notice. "Mai-san? What's the matter?"

"You've been like this since you got here? Is everything alright?" Kaede-san asks, looking at me with a worried expression.

_Should I tell them? _I ask myself. The two of them are my best friends since high school and we would talk about almost everything, including our lovers. I just shake my head as I look down at the ground with pained look in my eyes.

"Reo . . . she and I broke up," I say, quietly.

"What!?" both my friends gasp as they hear what I said.

I just nod my head.

"Wait a second," Yuuna-san says, holding her hand up. "You two . . . broke up?"

"That doesn't make any sense," Kaede-san says, raising an eyebrow. "Both of you love each other."

"Exactly," I say. "But Reo just did it out of the blue at the same exact spot where she confessed to me and proposed to me."

Both of my friends look at each other with worried eyes before turning back to me.

"Mai-san," Yuuna-san says softly. "I'm so sorry."

"I'm sure you didn't do anything that would make her do that," Kaede-san adds.

"That's what I was thinking, but I'm just not sure why Reo would do that," I say. "She's my fiance and a soon-to-be wife to me. I just . . ." Tears sting my eyes and I try to wipe them off. "I just don't know why . . ." This is all too confusing. Now that she and I broke up, I don't know what to do with myself. Should I move on and forget about her?

"Mai-san," Yuuna-san says as she puts a hand on my shoulder. "That's terrible. I wish there was something both of us can do to help."

I wipe one last tear off as I try to smile at her. "No, it's okay. I'm just glad I got it out of me before anything ugly happened." Just talking to my two best friends is the only thing that relaxes me right now, especially with Yuuna-san.

"I just hope Reo-san is okay with the break up," Kaede-san says timidly.

I just shake my head. "Let's hope not."

* * *

**Reo's P.O.V**

I sit on my bed at my apartment one morning with my phone in hand. On the screen, I stare hard at the contacts list, which contains very few people in it. But there's one specific person that's missing. Someone that I most cared about and loved. As tears fall freely from my eyes, I choke a sob as I clutch the phone in my chest.

"Mai . . . "

I cry softly to myself. Why did it come to this? Oh, that's right. It was all Matsuri's doing.

***Flashback***

**At a local park . . .**

_"Take out your phone." Matsuri demanded_

_"What? Why?" I timidly asked._

_"Just do it."_

_I slowly took out my iPhone._

_"Now, go to your contacts list and find Mai-sama's name."_

_I do what she asked._

_"Now . . . delete her from your contacts list."_

_My eyes widened as I look up at her in shock. "What!? B-but . . . I . . . how can I . . ."_

_Matsuri just smiled as she slipped out the photos from her bag and waved them at me while pointing her phone at them. Ugh, she's going to threaten me with that, too!? That witch! I still do what she asks and pushed the delete button under Mai's name. A box shows up on the screen that says, **"Are you sure you want to erase Mai Sawaguchi from your contacts list?"**_

_Matsuri peered in closer to me. "Do it," she hissed._

_I shut my eyes tightly as I press the OK button. The screen now says **"Caller erased from contacts list"**. Matsuri smiled in satisfaction as she crossed her arms._

_"Well done, Reo-sama," she said.. "I hope the two of us will have a great rest of the summer together."_

_"Yes, sure," I muttered while looking away and staring at my phone. Mai . . . I miss you so much._

_"Now then, we should plan some things that we can do together," she says. "Let's see. Oh, I know! How about I start with having a sleepover at your apartment tonight!? Sound good?"_

_"Uh, yeah," I said quietly. "Okay."_

_"Excellent," Matsuri said.. "I can't wait!"_

_I just nod my head. I can't wait for her to get out of our lives any time soon and hope that Mai and I will be back together. With that, both of us stand up, hold hands as we head back to my apartment._

It was two days ago when it happened. I kept replaying the scene over and over in my head as I stare at my phone. Mai . . . I miss you so much . . ._  
_

* * *

**Mai's P.O.V**

I wave good-bye to Yuuna-san and Kaede-san and I head over to Reo's apartment. Since I'm not gonna live with her anymore, I guess I have to move back to my parent's house and tell them the news. I still can't believe Reo would do such a thing. It's only been two days and I'm already missing her! Oh, Reo. What did I do to deserve this?

As I'm about to enter the apartment, a door opens, revealing someone familiar.

"Matsuri!?" I gasp.

"Oh, hi, Mai-sama," she says as she casually waves at me.

I rush over and grab her by the shirt while glaring at her. "Tell me: did you do anything to make Reo break up with me?"

Matsuri just pushes me away. "Ah, you've figured it out already, eh? In fact, it was so easy to convince her to do that. All I had to do was show her these." She takes out about 10 photos and hands them to me.

As I thumb through them, I realize that these are pictures of us having sex, in the classroom and in the infirmary! But . . . why would she take them without us noticing?

"I told her that if she doesn't break up with you, I would show these to the police and consider you a pedophile," Matsuri explains. "Then, you would be thrown in jail and never see your lover again, which give me the perfect opportunity to make a move on her."

My eyes widen at her explanation. "So . . . all this time . . . it was just for that reason?"

Matsuri snatches the photos from me. "Yep. So, you'd better not get close to Reo-sama or these will go to the cops." She raises them up with an evil grin.

I grit my teeth while clenching a fist, but slowly relent. Dang it! How can Matsuri be this powerful against me? I should be stronger than that! But . . . a threat like that could cost me my life and my relationship with Reo. My eyes are glued to the ground as I hear an evil snicker from Matsuri.

"I told you, Mai-sama. I always win. Always." She walks around me and whispers in my ear, "Good luck finding another girl. Reo-sama is done with you now."

With that, she walks away. Tears start spilling out from my eyes as I whisper Reo's name.

* * *

As I enter my house, the first thin. I see is my parents sitting in the kitchen, greeting me with a smile.

"Hi, Mai-chan," my mom says. "What brings you here?"

"Onee-chan!"

Both my little brother, Daichi and my little sister, Hana come running up to me and hug me from each side.

"We missed you, Onee-chan!" Hana says.

"We thought you'd never come!" Daichi adds.

I just giggle. "Now, now. One at a time. You know I come to this house once in a while to visit you two, right?"

Hana giggles. "Right! I forgot!"

"I didn't!" Daichi declares, but Hana elbows him in the arm, making him yelp in pain.

I softly giggle at this. "That means he forgot as well?"

Hana just nods. She then notices me carrying my stuff from Reo's apartment and looks at me in confusion. "What's wrong? Why aren't you in Reo-chan's apartment?"

"I . . . we broke up," I manage to say.

It takes my whole family a few seconds to take in what I said.

"Mai-chan," my mother says. "Is it true?"

I just nod my head, trying not to cry in front of them. "That's why I'm moving back home. I'm no longer living in Reo's apartment."

My family exchanges looks before turning back to me.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," Mom says sympathetically.

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Father asks.

I shake my head. "No. It's okay. Thanks for the offer though." This is so hard on me that I need to rest for a bit. I give my family a hug and go upstairs to my room.

I silently close the door and put my back towards it. Tears were starting to form in my eyes at the thought of my beloved. Reo . . . The petite girl who I was going to marry, the one who I cared about and always stood by my side, and the one who is fun to tease . . . is gone. Gone . . . forever.

* * *

**A\N: Aww! Sad chapter, don't you think? No need to worry. They will get back together soon. :) And so sorry for the super, duper late update. Been busy with my new job that I didn't have the time to write this chapter. But never fear! This one's finally finished! I promise to finish this one before anything else since everyone seems to really like it. So thanks a lot, you guys! :D**

**So . . . because of my new job, I'll probably be updating a lot slower than usual, so I apologize for that. In the meantime, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review. ;)**


	11. Matsuri's Big Date

**Chapter 11**

**Matsuri's Big Date**

**A/N: Hello again. Sorry for the super late update yet again. As I said before, I have my job and my updating will be slower than usual, so be patient, my friends. :) Anyway, this chapter and the next focuses on how Mai and Reo are doing after the break up. I know it's sad, but don't worry. They will get back together. So, enjoy the story! ;)**

**Reo's P.O.V**

That night, I couldn't sleep. Things were way too upsetting for me since Mai and I broke up. I was even replaying that horrible scene in my head as I was breaking up with her. There has to be a reason why Matsuri is in love with me and why she's so jealous of Mai. I don't even know if Matsuri will even tell me. She's just all over me for her own desires and to make Mai jealous. I look over my phone again and it shows nothing of my beloved. I sigh as I turn my phone off, set it aside and try to sleep. But I still feel restless.

"Agh! Why does this have to happen to us?" I groan as I put my pillow up to my face.

Though I don't know the answer to that, I do know that this has to stop and find a way to get Masturi to tell me why she only wants me and not let Mai have me. As I put my arm down, I feel my elbow bump into something as I turn around to notice a silver haired person sleeping by my side. Oh, yeah. She asked if she could sleepover tonight and I almost forgot about it.

"Mm . . . Reo-sama?" she says as she turns over to me with a worried expression. "Is something wrong?"

"No," I reply, quietly. "It's nothing."

Matsuri just nods and goes right back to sleep. I, however, remain awake, trying to think of something for Matsuri to realize that I'm really not her type, make her explain why she's in love with me and stop this whole nonsense.

* * *

The next morning, I sit up from my bed, feeling very tired for not getting much sleep last night since I'm having nightmares of Mai and I drifting farther apart from each other and then Matsuri coming in between us. I rub my eyes as I look around my room. To me, it feels very empty . . . without Mai around. I look over to Matsuri, who is sleeping peacefully beside me, with her hand on mine. I just turn away, not wanting to look her in the eye. _I wish it was Mai's hand instead of hers._

As I let out a loud sigh, I can feel Matsuri shuffling for a bit. I turn towards her as she sits up from the bed, rubbing her eyes. As the blanket drops from her body, it reveals a green short night gown, kind of too short to be exact. I quickly turn away, not wanting to see any more.

"Morning, Reo-sama," she says softly.

"Oh, g-good morning!" I quickly reply, still looking away from her. "H-how did you sleep?"

"I slept very well," she says as I can feel her playing with my hair. "It's so nice of you to ask that." Something in her voice is just lovestruck and . . . annoying. "How did you sleep, my darling?"

"Uh, fine . . . I guess?"

"That's good." She then wraps her arms around me from behind, which makes me quiver a bit.

"Ah! M-Matsuri! What are you doing!?"

"Oh, but isn't this what you and Mai-sama do these days?" she teasingly asks. She takes a whiff of my hair. "Ah, what a sweet smell."

"I haven't even showered yet!" I yell.

"I don't mind." She takes a sniff again. "As long as it smells sweet, it should be fine. Besides, I can smell some of the remaining shampoo you use." _Sniff . . . Sniff . . ._ "Ah, that's it. Right on top of your head."

I shove Matsuri away and jump out of bed while glaring at her. "Look, you have no right touching my hair like that!"

"Ah, only Mai-sama is the only one to touch it, correct?"

I can feel myself blush as I slightly turn away and nod.

"I see." She gets up from the bed and takes a few steps closer to me.

I slowly back away from her. "W-wait. What are you doing?"

She strokes my hair as she give me kisses on my neck. "I love you, Reo-sama. I don't know what to do without you. You're the most important person to me." She wraps her arms around me while resting her head on my shoulder. Her saying that reminds me of a certain person.

"Thanks," I mutter as tears start to form.

Matsuri looks up at me and takes notice of my sad expression. "What's wrong, Reo-sama?"

I sniffle as I wipe off some of the tears that are forcing their way out. I don't want her to know that I miss Mai so much. "N-nothing, Matsuri. I'm fine."

She turns me around and looks at me in a serious way. She gently wipes away the tears as she tips my chin to her level. "Don't cry, sweetie. I'm here for you."

"B-but *sniff* I . . . I don't know if I should be with you. I-I mean, something tells me that this isn't right for me. T-there's someone else that's still inside my heart . . ."

The silver haired girl puts her finger to my lips. "Shhh . . . don't even mention her name, okay? You have me now. So, please . . . stay by my side." She presses her lips against mine, making me unable to move for a long time.

What choice do I have? If I refuse to be with Matsuri, she'll expose Mai as a pedophile with those stupid photos and I'll never see her again. So, I reluctantly return the kiss, with my arms wrapped around her neck. This lasts for about 5 minutes until we have to pull apart to catch our breath.

"Reo-sama . . ."

"M-Matsuri . . ."

The silver haired girl smiles as she caresses my cheek. "Hey, I know what the two of us can do for the day."

"What is it?" I ask.

"I'm gonna take you on a big date today."

"What?" I raise an eyebrow. "It's only been a week. You can't possibly be going this far into our relationship, right?"

Matsuri shrugs. "It's fine with me. No worries." She lets go of me and turns her back to me while stretching out her arms. "First things first, let's bathe together, Reo-sama. I want to be the one who washes your hair."

"O-okay," I say as I nod slowly.

It took about a few minutes for us to heat up the water and get in the tub together. Since the bath is big enough to fit both of us, we sit in the hot tub to soak our cold bodies in it. With that, Matsuri takes some shampoo that I usually use and gently wipes my hair with it. Her gentle touch somehow makes me feel very relaxed.

"Does this feel good, Reo-sama?" Matsuri asks softly.

"Yes," I reply. "Just now, it felt really good."

"Here?" She rubs the top of my head.

"Mm-hmm . . . ah, feels really good." W-wait! What am I saying!? Usually, Mai was the one who washes my hair and I say the exact same things to her whenever we take a bath together! Ugh, this is all getting awkward now!

"I'm glad." She takes the shower hose and rinses the soap off. "Ah, now your hair smells refreshing. I can take a sniff at your hair anytime I want."

"Please don't," I mutter.

Matsuri just giggles. For the rest of the bath, I end up washing her hair, with her on her knees just to help me reach her head and then for the both of us relaxing on the hot tub for another half hour. When we're done, we get out, dry ourselves off and put on bathrobes as we head over to my closet to pick out some clothing for our date. Matsuri picks out a green summer dress with black high heels to go with it. I just pick out my usual casual summer outfit and put that on.

Once we do some final adjustments, both of us head out of the apartment and start walking on the sidewalk. She takes hold of my hand as she puts on a smile on her face, feeling very happy to be with me. I smile weakly back at her as I turn away from her. Being with Matsuri just isn't the same anymore.

"Now," she says. "Where shall we go first, Reo-sama?"

"Um . . . anywhere is fine, to be honest," I mutter. I really don't care where we go since I'm with her.

Matsuri puts her finger up to her chin as she thinks about it. "Hmm . . . we've done plenty of shopping, so we don't need to do that. How about another movie?"

"Okay, but what are we watching this time?" I ask.

"Oh, I know a good horror movie we could watch. Then, if it gets too scary, both of us can cling to each other." She giggles at the thought. "Wow! Me clinging to Reo-sama will be like heaven to me!"

"No," I say, bluntly.

"Aw! But all we've seen are some comedy and dramas so far."

"I'm not seeing a horror movie with you. Besides, you know how much scary movies affect me."

"Well, we shall use it to your advantage so that you'll get to cling to me all you want! Isn't that fun?"

I shake my head as I turn my back to her. "Alright, how about this: forget about this date and just leave me alone."

"Reo-sama!"

I'm about to walk away until I feel her hand grab my wrist. I swiftly turn to her, glaring at her.

"What is it now?" I growl.

"Forgive me, Reo-sama, but I'm not going to let you ruin this for the both of us. Look how much we did for the past week: we shopped together, went to the movies together and even shared some food with each other, or what do they call it . . . indirect kisses?"

I turn away to avoid contact with her. "W-well, a week is enough for us, so let me be alone for one day, okay?"

Matsuri frowns. "Fine, but after this date. I know some places that we can go to today. So, please . . ."

I could've sworn there's some warmth on my cheeks. "A-alright. Let's go."

The silver haired girl smiles. "Excellent! Let's go!"

Taking my hand, she leads me to wherever the heck we're going. I, on the other hand, doesn't care at all.

* * *

We arrive at an aquarium near the mall. I don't think I've ever been to aquariums like this before. There's this huge tank that's about the size of this building and all around me, there's other tanks, containing loads of fish and other sea creatures. There were neon lights shining down upon us and music to go with it. I take a look around for a bit as Matsuri smiles at me.

"Do you like it, Reo-sama?" she asks.

"It's . . . amazing!" I say. "This aquarium is absolutely amazing!"

"Hehe! This aquarium is the most popular of all the other aquariums," she explains. "I've been here before, so I just wanted to show you this place myself."

"But . . . there's so many sea creatures around, I just can't pick what to look at."

"That's why we have this guide to help us through this aquarium." She whips out a small book out from her bag and hands it to me.

I flip through some of the pages and notice that there's pictures of each sea creature with facts at the side and where it's located in the aquarium. "Wow! This will surely help us get through the aquarium!"

Matsuri giggles again. "I know, right? Now then, where would you like to go?"

"Turtles!" I instantly shout out as I run ahead of her, to where the sea turtles are.

Once she catches up to me, both of us watch some big ones swim by us. Looking up, we notice that there's a mother sea turtle with her babies swimming along with her. I smile at this as the big family swims by us as well. Suddenly, I feel a hand on my shoulder. When I look up, I realize that Matsuri is the one who did it and she has a smile on her face. She looks down at me and giggles while I smile back a little. To be honest, this is really enjoyable, getting to be at a place where I haven't been to before, but with Matsuri, it's a little different. I still wish it were Mai instead of her.

The next thing we go to is where the sharks are. There were about different kinds of sharks when we arrive at their section. There were mostly great whites swimming around, but there were also hammer heads, whale sharks, cookie-cutter sharks and more. They look a little scary to me, so without thinking, I link arms to Matsuri's, making her gasp in surprise.

"Reo-sama?" she asks as she looks down at me. "Is everything alright?"

"Sharks tend to scare me a little," I admit as I pull in closer, making my body touch her arm.

"Aw, you don't have to be afraid, sweetie," she says gently. "See? They don't look like they're going to attack us or anything. So, we're all safe, okay?"

I just give her a slow nod as both of us continue to watch the sharks swim around. After that, we spend the rest of the hour exploring the aquarium. We got to see some crabs, a school of fish, whales at the huge tank in the middle of the aquarium and dolphins up at the top. We were free to touch them whenever we want to since they are gentle and playful to us. We even get to see some cute baby seals crawling around with their mothers watching over them.

After about an hour and a half of exploring, we exit the aquarium. To be honest, this was the most fun I've had so far today. Matsuri smiles at me as she takes notice of my happy expression.

"I see someone enjoyed her little adventure," she teases.

I just turn away. "Hmph. Well, it was just an aquarium. I've seen some sea creatures before anyway."

"Yes, but the look on your face earlier tells me that you've been enjoying this entire time," she wraps her arms around me. "Oh, I'm so happy to be with you, Reo-sama! This date is going absolutely perfect!"

"U-um, yes," I mutter. I clear my throat. "S-so . . . where do you want to do now?"

"Hmm . . ." She puts her finger on her chin for a moment. "Well, it's almost lunch time, so do you want to grab some food at a restaurant or something?"

I shrug. "Works for me."

"Excellent! I know just the place where they have yummy ramen! Come, Reo-sama!" She takes my hand as she leads the way.

* * *

"Welcome to Kosabi's!" Matsuri says with enthusiasm. "A place where they have great ramen and other Japanese food!"

I look around the restaurant a little. The room smells like teriyaki sauce and in front of me is a bar with about 3 people preparing some beer or whatever to their customers. There were round tables and booths around me with an arcade right down the corner. The decorations were a little bland. I mean, there's some sailor's material hanging on the wall, like life rafts, paddles and some parts of a boat hanging on there as well. There is a huge plastic sword fish hanging on the wall in front of me, which gives me the jitters. Though this restaurant is too ordinary, the smell of food is good.

A young man comes to the podium. "Good morning, ladies. Table for two?"

"Yes, please," Matsuri replies.

He grabs two menus. "Right this way, please." He leads us to a tall table with two chairs and sets down the menus.

Both of us sit down as the man says, "Your server will be here shortly."

Matsuri thanks him as I just take a look at the menu. There were so many choices of sea food and sushi that I can't pick which one. Matsuri looks at her menu as she browses through as well.

"Hmm . . ." she mumbles as she looks up at me. "What are you gonna get, Reo-sama?"

"I don't know," I reply. "There is so many great food that I just can't choose."

Matsuri giggles. "Oh, Reo-sama. You're so adorable when you say that."

I can feel my face get warm as I turn away. "W-what does it matter? The food here is just so delicious, that's all."

"Do you want me to pick it out for you?"

"No, I can do it myself, thank you."

"Okay. If there's something you like, I'll order it for you." Matsuri says with a smile.

I just nod as our server comes and places some napkins in front of us. We order some drinks and tell him we need about one more minute to decide. He nods and walks off. After a few seconds, Matsuri gasps in excitement.

"Oh!" she says. "Let's both get the chicken ramen deluxe!"

I raise an eyebrow as I take a look at its picture. It has a huge bowl with noodles, peppers, some vegetables and grilled chicken breast scattered in the ramen. "Really? Isn't that a bit too much for just one person?"

"I'm not talking about us individually, silly!" the silver haired girl giggles. "I mean, order just one so that we can share it."

"Share it?"

"Yes, sweetie. This is the most yummy ramen around. Almost everyone orders this."

I look at it one more time. "Okay. Let's order it."

Matsuri smiles as she signals our waiter and order our food. After he writes it down, he takes our menus and walks off. There is silence after that, except for us hearing the people chatting away while the music is playing. I think about asking Matsuri her reason why she's in love with me, but I feel that it may be too personal even for her. I keep wracking my brains to ask her something else, but nothing comes to mind at the moment.

"You know," Matsuri says.

"Yes?"

"You kind of remind me of my best friend," she says. "Whenever I look at you, you kind of look just like her, only she's not as feisty as you are."

I raise an eyebrow, clearly having no idea what she's talking about. "Your best friend? Is that why you're in love with me?"

"No, it's more than that," Matsuri says, looking down at the floor. "We used to be childhood friends back then. We were inseparable: we used to build sand castles together, play on the playground together and even come over to each other's houses. We even are in the same class together. We were like sisters to each other."

I look at her sympathetically.

"That is until 8th grade." Matsuri's long bangs cover her facial expression. "I started to develop feelings for her and I had no idea why until I realized that I had fallen in love with her. Now, I thought it was a little awkward since a boy and a girl are supposed to fall in love, but since I was with her for a long time, I guess I got into liking girls more than guys. But then . . . right before I had the chance to confess my feelings to her . . ." She lets out a sniffle. "She showed me her boyfriend. She was dating him for about 3 weeks before I realized I was in love with her. I was too late to confess my feelings to her and just . . . let her go. Since then, I can never fall in love with another girl again. I just don't know whether or not she'll reject me or find another girl to love."

"Matsuri . . ." I say softly, taking in what she's telling me. Somehow, I'm affected by her touching story.

"By the time I entered St. Michael's, I found you," Matsuri looks up at me with her eyes filling with tears. "The first time I laid eyes on you, I thought about my best friend. How you resemble her cute features and your petite figure. It was like I got a second chance to have a relationship with her, only there was one problem: Mai-sama. Once again, I was too late to even try to talk to you nor have any time to spend with you because of Mai-sama. So, I had to find the right moment to confess my feelings until that one day where she was gone for the whole two weeks."

I gasp as I remember back when I was in third year. "Y-you mean . . ."

"Yes. Back when we were third years, I finally had the chance to confess my love to you, but you'd rather be with Mai-sama since you've been with her longer than me. So, I tried formulating plans to break you two up, but none of them worked until I came up with the photos that I took a while ago. By that time, I could have you all to myself once I made you break up with Mai-sama."

My eyes were shaking from this. "B-but why do such a thing? I mean, can't you contact your best friend and tell her your feelings then?"

"No." Matsuri says. "She's already has someone else and I can't be left heartbroken forever."

"Matsuri, I know it's been hard for you, but doing something like this isn't right," I try to explain. "Mai and I were meant to be and I'm sorry if you don't have a lover right now. You must try to learn to move on and then maybe you'll find a lover of your own."

Matsuri just smiles. "Heh, I've already found my lover. And that lover is you, Reo-sama. I'm not letting Mai-sama take you away from me again."

For some reason, that sympathy just turned into fear. I thought Matsuri just opened up to me because she wanted to tell me the reason why she was in love with me, but now it's like she's just turned evil again.

"I . . . I see," I mutter, looking down at the floor. What can I do?

Soon, our food is served at the middle of the table. I take a little of the noodles and slurp them in as Matsuri digs in on her side. After about a few minutes, she take some of the noodles and puts them in front of me.

"Here, Reo-sama," she says. "Have a taste."

"But . . . we're eating the same thing," I say, raising an eyebrow. "It doesn't make any sense."

She lowers her arm as she realizes that I'm right. "I see. Well, let's just eat up so we can get back to your apartment."

"Sure."

Without another word, both of us eat the ramen until there was just a third of it left, so we had to bag it to take it back home.

* * *

When we arrive back at my apartment, I set the leftover ramen in the fridge and turn to walk to the bedroom. I sit down on the bed, thinking about what Matsuri had told me at the restaurant. I had no idea she had a best friend that resembled me for her to fall in love with me that way. I have to figure out her name and try to convince her to be with Matsuri so that she won't be so lonely anymore.

But my thoughts get interrupted when Matsuri comes sit beside me and looks at me with a serious expression. Taking my hands in her own, she says, "Reo-sama, I want you to do me a huge favor."

"What is it?" I ask, not liking where this is going.

"Give me your engagement ring."

I gasp at what she's saying. "What!? Why the heck would I do something like that!?"

"Never mind. Just give me the ring," she demands.

"W-what are you planning to do with it?"

Matsuri just winks at me with a smile. "Let's just say that I have other plans up my sleeve." She holds up the photos she took from her bag a second ago and waves them while taking out her phone as well.

This tells me that she's going to frame Mai if I refuse, so I just reluctantly go to my desk drawer and take out the ring I kept from the day Mai and I broke up and hand it to her. She proceeds to put on the ring and examines it.

"Perfect," she says with a sly smile on her face.

I just tremble in fear, preparing for the worst.

* * *

**A/N: Whew! It's been a long time since my last update. So, thank you all for being patient and I apologize for the late update once again. I just couldn't find the right time to write this chapter because of my job and all. But, thanks for all your support and keeping me going on this story. I'm not abandoning this story at all, my friends. :) Not one bit. I promise to finish this one before moving on to anything else. I'm very glad that this fic is one of the best Mai x Reo fanfics ever. So, thank you all for the compliments.**

**Oh, I also took the suggestion from a reviewer named Somebody on Matsuri's background, so I decided to add that in there so I won't forget. Thank you for the suggestion, Somebody. **

**In meantime, feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review. ;) **


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